Someone else to Protect
by Konohakitten
Summary: Sakura finds herself pregnant while Naruto's out on a mission. How will our blonde shinobi take the news, and what plot does Sasuke have to ruin everything Naruto's worked so hard to obtain? Follow our favorite hero as his world of tranquility and peace slowly falls into darkness and despair. Naru/Saku Shika/Ino rated M for adult themes, situations, language, & violence and gore.
1. Chapter 1: Confession

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

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><p>It was late a late summer night in Konoha and Sakura was alone in her apartment. The young medic shinobi was silent; one could tell just by her face that something was wrong. She sat motionlessly on the corner of her bed in deep thought. The sound of passing people outside yapping away finally snapped her back into reality. She wasn't too sure how long she had been sitting there but it had to have been sometime. Her face was pale and there were clear visible streaks of long dried tears on her face. She clenched the sheets on her bed and tried to calm down.<p>

"Breathe Sakura, breathe, things aren't going to get any better if you rip your bed sheets up."

Sakura sighed as she stared at her feet as they dangled freely below her. Suddenly her stomach churned and the young kunoichi did her best not lose her lunch on her bedroom floor. The feeling had come so sudden that her head began to spin. After a few moments the sudden wave of nausea had disappeared. Sakura slowly got up from her bed and made her way towards the kitchen. Her stomach was still sensitive so food wasn't an option. However some nice hot chamomile would be a great way to help settle her stomach. Sakura fumbled around the cabinets looking for her tea kettle. She finally found it behind some bento boxes and pans. She placed it in the sink and began to rinse it out with warm water. She then turned on the stove and went to her room to get her cell phone.

"I really need to talk to someone, and there's only one person out there that can help me out."

Sakura flipped her cell phone open. She went through her contacts until she found the desired one. There on her cell phone screen was Ino's contact picture. It wasn't a picture of her blonde friend at all; instead it was one of Tonton she had taken last summer. Just thinking how mad Ino would get if she knew Sakura had Tonton as her contact picture brought a smirk to Sakura's face.

"Ino would flip if she saw this. Well at least I got her good side," giggled Sakura

She continued to laugh softly to herself but she stopped when something on her bed caught her attention. It was the pregnancy test she had taken earlier in the day, and it was positive.

* * *

><p>Sakura turned off the flame on the stove to let the tea cool down a bit. She took out two cups from one of her cabinets and placed them by the tea pot. She then walked towards her kitchen table and pulled a chair out. She was about to sit down when someone started banging on her front door. Sakura paused for a moment and rolled her eyes.<p>

"Good god Ino hold on!" Yelled Sakura, as she walked to the door. She opened it to find a flustered Ino on the other side.

"Alright forehead this had better be something really important or remotely amusing because I was gonna go out with Tenten tonight!" Yelled Ino as she stormed into Sakura's apartment.

Normally Sakura would have challenge Ino's sarcasm but tonight she just didn't care; she had much more to deal with then Ino's snobbish temper.

"Look Ino I called you over because you're my best friend and I don't think anyone else can help me out but you. I'd call Tsunade-sama but it's too much of a personal situation. I'd feel really awkward," said Sakura in a shaky voice.

Ino was a bit shocked, this was serious. She looked Sakura over and noticed the dry tears on her face.

"Sakura what's wrong?"

Ino didn't get an answer; instead Sakura threw herself into Ino's arms and cried. The blonde haired kunoichi had the wind knocked out of her; sometimes Sakura forgot just how strong she really was. Ino slowly looked down at Sakura and saw her trembling. She embraced her best friend and held her close.

"Oh my god Ino I don't know what I'm going to do," sobbed Sakura.

Ino's face was frozen with confusion, she had no idea what would cause Sakura to behave in such a way.

"Sakura talk to me, what's the matter?

Sakura simply sobbed and mumble a few incoherent words into Ino chest. Needless to say Ino couldn't make anything out. She gently pulled Sakura away from her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Listen Sakura I'm right here. I'm sorry I was such a bitch earlier. I didn't know this was a real serious matter," said Ino as she lead Sakura to the kitchen.

"Is that chamomile tea I smell? Come on why don't we have some while you explain to me what's going on."

Sakura wiped her fresh tears and followed Ino. She regained some of her composer and poured herself and Ino some warm tea. She added a few tablespoons of sugar to each cup and then she joined her best friend at her small kitchen table. The two Kunoichi's sat silently as each of them took small sips of their warm tea.

"So," Ino started.

Sakura looked up at her friend sighed heavily.

"It has to do with Naruto and I Ino."

Ino's eyes widened at Sakura's comment.

"Did that idiot leave you?! If so I'm gonna tear him apart! I mean after all those years he spent crushing over you he does something like this!?"

"No no Ino it's nothing like that, our relationship is doing just fine. I couldn't be happier."

"Well then you got me what the hell is wrong?"

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"..."

"Come one Sakura what is it?!"

"I'm pregnant!"

Sakura winced at how loud and blunt her confession was, but there was no taking it back now.

"You're what?!" Screamed Ino as she stood up from her chair. "Naruto knocked you up?!"

"Ino for the love of god could you please keep it down. I don't need the whole apartment complex hearing the news," scolded Sakura.

"Well I'm sorry but hearing my best friend has a bun in the oven is the last thing I expected to hear today."

"Yeah well it's the last thing I thought I'd find out myself," whispered Sakura.

"Well what about protection? I thought you were on the pill."

"I was on the pill, and Naruto always wears a condom. We're both really careful. I don't know what could have happened this time around."

Silence filled the kitchen; both kunoichi didn't know what to say to one another. After a few awkward moments Ino sat back down in her.

"So, are you going to keep it?"

"What?! Of course I am Ino! I wouldn't dream of… you know what I mean."

"So then what's the problem Sakura? You and Naruto love each other very much and you've been together for over a year now. I know that it's still way too soon for you two to have kids, but oh well, no undoing what's clearly already been done," said Ino as she pointed at Sakura's lower belly. "I'm sure Naruto will be happy to find out he's going to be a dad."

Sakura solemnly looked at her cup of tea. Ino was right, but doubt still filled her mind.

"What you're saying makes sense Ino, but I'm so scared to tell him. I know Naruto loves me but he's always talking about protecting Konoha, its villagers, and myself. Now I'm going to have to tell him that there's someone else he needs to protect. It's like that's all Naruto does. He saves the day and protects everyone, he never thinks about himself," whimpered Sakura as tears dropped from her face into her tea cup. "I always have a fear of losing him Ino, and now with a baby on the way that fear has tripped. I'm just so scared."

Ino placed both her arms on Sakura's shoulders. Sakura looked at Ino, and slowly wiped her tears away.

"Look you're in a difficult situation right now Sakura. No one ever said that this would be easy. However Naruto really loves you and he won't care that he needs to watch over someone else, because that someone will be a part of you and him."

"But what if I lose him?"

"Really Sakura? Your boyfriend is the man who personally brought an end to the 4th shinobi world. He took out Madera and saved the shinobi world! He's down right indestructible! Nothing in this world can take him away from you."

Sakura couldn't help but smile at Ino, she was right. Naruto had been the key to winning the 4th shinobi war. He put a stop to Madera tyranny and since then peace has reigned over the great shinobi nation.

"You know Ino I like you when you're compassionate. Maybe you should make a habit of it and not be a bitch all the time."

"Don't get use to it, this one's on the house forehead," said Ino.

Both girls left the kitchen and walked to Sakura's bedroom. Ino threw herself on Sakura's bed making herself right at home. Sakura sat next to Ino; she grabbed a pillow and held it tight.

"So where is Naruto anyway? I haven't seen him in a while."

"He's on a class S mission helping Suna with some kind of recon mission. I'm not too sure on the details though. Naruto couldn't tell me much about it. He's already been gone three weeks. I started feeling sick a few days after he left. I had already missed my period but I was just lying to myself. I was too scared to take a test until today."

"Oh so he's on the same mission as Shikamaru then. I didn't know who was on Shika's team since the mission was given to him on such notice. The details were slim, but his mission was also an S class that led him straight to Suna. So I'm sure they're together."

"Well at least they have one another as company," said Sakura.

"Yeah those two have become inseparable haven't they?"

"That they have."

"So then Sakura back on topic, how are you going to tell Naruto the news?"

Sakura's face went pale; she had done her best not to dwell on that thought.

"Oh god I'm not sure. Part of me just wants to blurt it out, but that might give him a heart attack," said Sakura as she fell back onto her bed.

She held a pillow over her face and let out a drawn out moan.

"Look Sakura you just can't tell him like that. Give him some time to get back into his normal routine, once that happens you can tell him."

"You think that will work Ino? I mean can it really be that simple?" Asked Sakura as she peeked from her pillow sanctuary.

Ino had managed to braid one of her locks during their conversation, she smiled at Sakura.

"Of course it is silly. You have to remember that men are creatures of habit. You need to let him get back into his groove before you tell him. Blurting it out will terrify him."

"I guess that makes sense," said Sakura as she removed her pillow from her face.

She looked up at her ceiling in silence. Before she knew it she was running possible scenarios of confronting Naruto in her head.

"So," Ino began. "Was that bun in the oven made here or was it at conceived at Naruto's?"

Sakura saw Ino patting her hand on Sakura's bed with a devilish grin on her face. The next thing Ino knew Sakura's pillow slammed right into her face.

"Hey," scuffed Ino.

"You're horrible you know that," laughed Sakura.

"Why am I horrible? We talk about this kind of stuff all the time. Why are you deciding to be a prude now?"

"Ino you're asking me where Naruto and I conceived this child."

"Ah come on Sakura we're best friends. We're supposed to share stuff like this with each other. So come on where was it?" Asked Ino as she drew closer towards Sakura.

"No I'm not telling. You might as well just give up because I'm not spilling the beans," teased Sakura.

"What? Why not? I always tell you the details with Shikamaru and I."

"Yeah but I never ask to hear it," giggled Sakura as she playfully pushed Ino away.

"It was here wasn't it," snickered Ino.

Sakura blushed with embarrassment. She covered her face which caused Ino to fall back onto her bed giggling at her expense.

"Oh my god Sakura that is hilarious."

"Cut it out Ino, you're embarrassing me. Besides being pregnant is no joke," huffed Sakura.

"Awe come on now I'm just messing with you Sakura. Besides everyone knows that you and Naruto have been intimate, and if they haven't they'll know for sure once they find out your preggers."

"Oh my god Ino just stop. I don't wait hear this," whined Sakura as she covered her ears.

"I mean honestly Sakura the first day I saw Naruto's bite marks on your neck was the day I knew you guys finally did it."

"Ino!"

"Alright, no need to get all bent out of shape," Ino teased. "But Sakura honestly let me just say I commend you. Getting bitten must really hurt, but its well worth it right? I mean Naruto is one with the Kyuubi now so he must be a beast in bed."

"You have no idea Ino," giggled Sakura.

"Well that's not my fault now is it miss purdy pie."

Sakura laughed, she felt so much better now, but she knew that her feelings were only momentary. Ino provided comfort, support, and company, but the moment she'd leave Sakura would be left alone with her fears, and thoughts. For now she didn't want to think about that. She wanted to end the night on a good note. Tomorrow would be another day and she would deal with it one step at a time. Ino made another witty remark and both girls laughed. They continued to chatter and gossip late into the night.

* * *

><p>Sakura opened her eyes and rolled over in her bed. For whatever reason she half expected to see Naruto asleep right next to her, but the other side of her bed was empty. She sighed softly and crawled out of bed. She walked to her window and opened it to let the fresh morning air fill her apartment. Everything seemed brighter and Sakura was determined to get use to the fact that she was pregnant with Naruto's child. Ino had stayed over pretty late last night but refused to sleep over since she had to get up early and open the flower shop the next day. Sakura was a bit frustrated that Ino wasn't able to spend the night but she was happy that she was there for her in her time of need. Ino's advice had really helped her out, and for that Sakura was thankful. She and Ino had a complex relationship. Some would think that they weren't friends at all sometimes what with their bickering and arguments, but that happened due to their strong personalities. It wasn't as if they hated each other. They were the closest of friends, best friends.<p>

Before Ino had left for the night she promised Sakura that should would keep her pregnancy a secret. Gossip had a way of traveling and the last thing Sakura wanted was for Naruto to come home to a village that knew some very important personal news before he did. Sakura walked to her bathroom and began to undress so that she could take a soothing shower. She glanced at herself in the mirror and placed her hands on her bare belly.

"This is really going to kill my figure," sighed Sakura as she continued to look at her firm flat tummy. She gently rubbed her stomach, this was all real, it hadn't been a dream.

"You really are in there aren't you?"

Sakura couldn't help but smile. She wondered what she was having, and what the baby would look like. The combinations were endless and the thought of a mini Naruto or Sakura made her heart flutter. Now that her head was more clear Sakura realized that Ino was right. Naruto wouldn't be upset, nor would he not want the pregnancy. Naruto was a sweetheart, he loved Sakura with all his heart and more. She thought about the way Naruto would cuddle with her when they were watching tv, or how he'd watched over her when she was sick. He was always there for her and she knew that all his amazing characteristic would be amplified now that he was going to be a father.

"Just wait until you meet your dad, he's the best," whispered Sakura.

* * *

><p>It was a gorgeous morning. The sky was a vibrant shade of baby blue and a light summer breeze blew through Sakura's pink locks. The weather was indeed perfect but Sakura couldn't help but dread her walk towards Hokage Tower. She had made a decision once she had exited the shower, she had to tell Tsunade. Her mentor was someone who needed to know about Sakura's condition. Not only because she was Sakura's teacher but also because she was the one that would naturally over see Sakura's medical health.<p>

The young kunoichi sighed heavily. She wasn't afraid of Tsunade despite her sharp tone and strong personality. Sakura admired and respect her, and it was those feelings that made confronting her even harder. The fear that Tsunade would be disappointed in her is what sent chills down Sakura's back. She began climbing the many stairs to reach Tsunade's office and all the while Sakura's mind and heart raced.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe I should take Ino's advice and wait for Naruto to get back home. Once he gets back into his normal routine he and I can tell Tsunade-sama together," whispered Sakura.

The idea did sound enticing but Sakura knew that she needed to be checked out as soon as possible by Tsunade. She has procrastinated enough what with waiting so long to take a pregnancy test. She had no idea when Naruto would be back and it was in the her and her child's best interests to just come clean with Tsunade. Besides Tsunade would flip if Sakura went to the clinic without letting her know first. Sakura couldn't help but argue with herself as she aimlessly made her way to her master's office. Before she knew it she had reached the top of the stairs. Sakura walked down the hallway slowly and after a few minutes Sakura reached the door to Tsunade's office. She stood there silently as she did her best to muster the courage to open the door.

"Come in," said Tsunade from inside her office.

Sakura's eyes opened wide, she hadn't knocked nor had she made a sound. Well how could she be surprised, this was Tsunade after all. Sakura walked in to find the 5th Hokage buried in paper work. She nervously approached her desk and waited patiently for her master to say something.

"Sakura why you're here in my office when it's your day off?"

Sakura fidgeted, she began to doubt coming, but there was no turning back now.

"Well Tsunade-sama I figured maybe you needed some extra help since Shizune is out sick."

Tsunade looked up at Sakura from her endless mounds of paperwork on her desk.

"That's really thoughtful of you Sakura. You know how unorganized I am without Shizune, but I thought you were here to talk to me about something else."

"Something else?"

"Yes something life changing, like a baby."

"I…um…how did you know?!" Sakura blurted out.

"Well I know for sure now don't I," replied Tsunade.

Sakura's mouth dropped, she felt so embarrassed. Tsunade pushed her chair away from her desk and stood up. She turned around and made her way towards her offices windows. She looked down at the view outside.

"Did you really think you could hide something medical from me Sakura? I've noticed little changes that perhaps you yourself didn't notice. Your heart rate has become faster and I've noticed that you've been losing your breath when doing simple tasks. I added that to your complaining about nausea a few days ago and I put them all together. These three symptoms are classic signs of pregnancy. Your body is starting to work double time since it's now supporting two people."

Sakura winced and looked down at the floor. She was beyond impressed that Tsunade was able to see all of these little changes in her body, but at the same time she was mortified.

"I'm so sorry I've disappointed you Tsunade-sama. That's the last thing I'd ever want to do, honestly," said Sakura as she bowed down as low as she could in front of Tsunade.

She heard her mentors heels hitting the floor as she approached her. She knew her master was right next to her but she dared not moved. Tsunade placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder motioning her to stand up. Sakura obey and was face to face with Tsunade.

"Now what in the world are you babbling about Sakura? I'm not disappointed in you," said Tsunade softly.

Before Sakura could speak Tsunade embraced her lovingly.

"I remember what it's like to be young and in love. No matter how long you've been together you just can't seem to get enough of each other," replied Tsunade, her voice was filled with a hint of sorrow. "However these things happen when you choose to show your love in the bedroom Sakura. I would have expected you to be safe about taking that step with Naruto."

The pink haired kunoichi blushed profusely. She pulled herself a little away from Tsunade's embrace.

"We were careful Tsunade-sama, we both used protection. I never thought something like this could happen, especially when we used precautions."

Tsunade gripped Sakura's shoulder firmly.

"Well then you did what you could Sakura. If it's meant to be it's meant to be, there's no stopping that."

"I suppose you're right," replied Sakura. So you aren't disappointed?"

"No Sakura I'm not, but I do wish you were older. You're still so you young and both you and Naruto have such a bright future as shinobis. Now with a child on the way your shinobi duties will be on hold."

Sakura's heart sank, Tsunade was right. She wasn't worried about her shinobi duties, but she was when it came to Naruto's. All he ever wanted was to be Hokage and it was clear to everyone that he was Tsunade's successor, but a baby could change all of that for him.

"I've ruined everything for Naruto."

"Why would say something like that?"

"I don't want to hold him back from his dream of being Hokage. A baby changes everything, he won't be able to devote as much time towards his Hokage training."

"Oh Sakura, you know I'd make exceptions for Naruto. This child isn't going to change my mind when it comes to choosing him as my successor. We'll work something out alright?"

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do."

"Thank you so much Tsunade-sama," replied Sakura as she wiped tears of relief from her face.

"It's going to be alright Sakura. I'll be here for you every step of the way. Now then, I need to make sure that baby is getting what it needs," said Tsunade as she walked to her desk.

Sakura quickly followed her master. Tsunade took out a pen and notepad from one of her desk drawers and quickly scribbled a few things. When she was done she tore the sheet of paper off and handed it to Sakura.

"Here I want you to take this to the pharmacy department in the hospital. I've written down a few things some of my patients need and I added some prenatal vitamins in there for you. Since it's your day off you won't be allowed behind the front desk so you'll have to get someone there to help you. With this list no one will suspect that everything on it is for you. It will simply look like you're running a short errand for me on your day off."

Sakura took the small piece of paper in her hand and nodded.

"Wow Tsunade-sama that's a really good idea."

"I figured you want to keep everything to yourself until Naruto comes back, which will be much sooner than you think Sakura."

"Excuse me?"

"I received a messenger hawk from Naruto's team, he'll be home tonight."

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><p><span><strong>425/2014**

Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of my story. I originally wrote this when I was a mother of one. My little boy had just turned a 1yr old and it was easier to keep updates current. Since then I've given birth to my second son. My kids are now 4 and 1 1/2 and I live in a town away from all my family. In short I'm always busy and I have no one else but me to watch my kids. So it's very hard to write. However this story will be finished so no worries there. Just keep in mind if you choose to follow this story updates may not be that often, but I'm working on it. Also I have revised this story because all my early chapters were my original uploads from 2011. I re read my fic in it's entirety a few days ago and I couldn't believe how horrible it was. There were typos everywhere, the chapters felt rushed to me, and the sentence structure was horrible. So I've gone back and redone everything. Note the plot isn't changing or anything like that but I am going back and adding more dialogue and things like that. Also keep in mind that the manga isn't where it is today when I first wrote this. I believe Naruto had just gained control of the kyuubi's chakra when I started this fic. So don't expect to see current events in this story. On a finally note this story starts off very sweet and cute but please don't let that fool you. The first few chapters are the only ones like this. You have to remember that there will be, gore, violence, adult language, adult situations, and lemons so please read with caution. The more you read the more you'll see Naruto's peaceful world fall into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: Flowers for Sakura

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

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><p>It was night time in Konoha and the beautiful day was replaced with a very warm night. Naruto walked with Shikamaru by his side. The two of them were tired and the thoughts of home weighted heavily on their minds.<p>

"Man this mission was a long one," said Naruto.

"Yeah tell me about it. What really made it long was the fact that it was in Suna. We spent almost a week just traveling. Three days to get there and three days coming back," muttered Shikamaru.

"Yeah but I know your ex girlfriend was beyond happy that you traveled all that way to see her," teased Naruto.

"Temari and I never dated Naruto, she's not my ex."

"Oh come one Shikamaru everyone knows that she still has the hots for you."

"Whatever," yawned Shikamaru.

"Yeah ok be in denial. It's not going to change the fact that Temari wishes you two were together."

"Well that's never going to happen. Besides I think Ino would kill me if I ever left her for Temari. Then neither one of them would have me."

"Yeah that does sound like something Ino would do," chuckled Naruto.

Finally in the distance Konoha's large city gates came into view. Naruto was beyond thrilled, he was finally home and he couldn't wait to hold Sakura in his arms. Naruto smiled at the thought of his beautiful girlfriend. Suddenly Kiba drew close towards Naruto and roughly nudge him on his right shoulder.

"So Naruto where are you heading off to once we're inside the gates hmmm?" Asked Kiba with a devious grin on his face.

Naruto rolled his eyes and punched him in the arm.

"Ouch you jackass what was that for!?" Asked Kiba as he grabbed his arm.

Before Naruto could give him a good piece of his mind Shikamaru spoke.

"Because you're being extremely troublesome Kiba. I mean we all know who Naruto's going to see once we get home. Honestly what's the point in pestering him about dating Sakura, it's getting old," said Shikamaru.

Kiba frowned at both his friends.

"Jeez I was just teasing Shikamaru. Why they hell are you two acting so snippy?"

"We aren't being snippy Kiba," yawned Shikamaru.

"Keh whatever you two are just cranky because you haven't gotten any in three weeks."

"Well maybe if you had a girlfriend you'd understand," said Naruto.

His sarcasm was apparent and Kiba's face grew red. Obviously Naruto had hit a nerve with his comment.

"You know what I've had enough of being with you two these past few weeks!" Barked Kiba as he jumped on Akamaru's back and ran off ahead of the team. " Akamaru and I are going on ahead."

Naruto scowled in Kiba's direction.

"The feeling is mutual Kiba! Jeez can you believe him?" Muttered Naruto.

"Don't let him get to you Naruto. You know Kiba doesn't mean any real harm."

"Yeah I know," said Naruto as he pulled his backpack higher up on his shoulder.

"Besides you know he's just upset because he got cold feet and he wasn't able to ask Hinata out."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yeah Shino told me Kiba was planning on asking her out the day we left but he chickened out at the last minute and he never asked her. He's been regretting it the whole mission. Now instead of running home to a girlfriend he has to get the courage to ask her out again. So he's just been bummed, and you know that when he's down he loves to pester us," said Shikamaru as he looked up at the night sky.

"Well that explains his behavior these past 3 weeks. He accused us of being snappish with him but that's been him this whole time."

"Yeah he would get all bent out of shape when I gave him orders. It was insanely troublesome, but at least that's behind us now."

"Thank god," replied Naruto as they walked through the open gates of Konoha.

They stopped at the entrance and both turned around to wait for the final member of their team. Kakashi was so enthralled in his book that he hadn't even noticed they were in the village. If it wasn't for Naruto clearing his throat Kakashi would have passed them without evening noticing.

"You know Kakashi sensei you've read all of Ero-senin's books god knows how many times yet you still act like it's your first time reading them. Why is that?"

Kakashi smiled when he heard his former student's question. He closed his book and looked at Naruto.

"Well Naruto the answer to that is quite simple. You see every time I read one of Jiraiya-sama's books it's like a whole new story each and every single time. He was such an inspirational author. It's only fitting that I keep his memory alive by reading his literary masterpieces."

"Ok now you're just being ridiculous Kakashi-sensei. Everyone knows those aren't literary masterpieces. They're just the fantasies of an old pervert man," chuckled Naruto.

"To each their own Naruto," replied Kakashi as he put his book back into his knapsack. "Besides I know Jiraiya-sama would love to see people still reading his epic novels of drama, love, and sorrow," said Kakashi boldly.

Both Shikamaru and Naruto stared blankly at how bizarre Kakashi was acting. The silver haired jounin noticed he had an audience so he quickly regained his composure. He cleared his throat and stood before his younger counterparts.

"Anyhow you two I'll report to Tsunade-sama and give her the details of the mission. Besides I know you two would much rather be in the company of two lovely ladies right now."

With that said Kakashi did a few simple hand signal and in an instant he was gone in a cloud of yawned and stretched. Shikamaru looked around the town and finally fixed his gaze on a large clock outside a restaurant.

"It's 9:00pm I better be going Naruto. Are you heading over straight to Sakura's from here?"

"No I'm heading over to Ino's folks flower shop first. You know to get some flowers for Sakura-chan."

"I would have never guessed," chuckled Shikamaru. "Look do you think you can give Ino a message for me?"

Naruto grinned he already knew what the message was; it was the same one every time Shikamaru came back from a mission.

"Consider it done Shikamaru."

"Thanks Naruto I guess I'll see you later."

As Shikamaru left Naruto alone in the front of the village gates he raises his left arm high and waved goodbye to his friend.

* * *

><p>The scent of freshly cut flowers filled the air as Naruto approach the Yamanaka flower shop. He was lucky they weren't closed yet. He walked into the brightly lit store and looked at all the dazzling varieties of flowers surrounding him. When he was younger flowers were just pretty plants that you picked for your mom or significant other as a gift. However now that Shikamaru and him were so close he knew far more about plants and their different purposes. He saw Ino on the opposite side of the store helping out an elderly women pick some flowers.<p>

He stood his ground and look at each flower wondering which one would be perfect for Sakura. Ino collected the bushel of flowers the elderly women had wanted to purchase and held them tightly.

"Let me wrap these up for you ma'am and I'll ring you up at the register," said Ino as she turned around to make her way to the check out.

Suddenly the elderly women remembered she wanted to add something else to her already large purchase.

"Excuse me miss I'd like to add one more dozen of Jade Lilacs please."

Ino turned her head towards the old women but continued walking.

"Alright ma'am they're right near the checkout station. I'll add them to your purchase," answered Ino.

But before she could finish turning her head to watch where she was going she crashed into something hard. At first she thought she had walked into a brick wall but she soon felt two warm hands hold her shoulders firmly. She shook her head and looked up to see a certain blonde shinobi looking down at her concerned.

"Oh man Ino I'm so sorry I just stood there like an idiot. I thought you'd turn around in time to see me," said Naruto nervously.

Ino's eyes widened when she looked at Naruto. She had been worrying about Sakura all day, but now Naruto was here to help out.

"Oh Naruto thank god you're back home!" Squealed Ino as she wrapped her free arm around his neck and brought him down close to her for a hug.

Naruto was speechless as Ino squeezed him tightly. He'd never been this close to her before; he could actually smell her hair. A huge blush covered his face as the busty kunoichi held him close.

Ino held him tightly and sighed into the crook of his neck. The heat from her breath sent chills down Naruto's back; his palms began to sweat.

"Sakura's really missed you Naruto. I know she's going to be so happy to see you home."

"I didn't think this mission would last so long. I've really missed her too."

"She really needs you Naruto," whispered Ino.

"Why? Is she alright Ino? Is there something wrong with Sakura-chan?" Asked Naruto.

Ino loosened her grip on the blonde haired shinobi. She realized a little too late that maybe she shouldn't have said anything.

"Oh no everything is fine Naruto….it's just that she's had a lot of stress at work. A lot of people have been getting sick lately so she's had really long hours." We weren't planning on your mission taking so long.

Ino felt really bad for lying to Naruto, but her lie wasn't an actual lie. A lot of people had been getting sick and Sakura did indeed have longer days at the hospital thanks to that. Either way her explanation worked on Naruto, he was oblivious. Ino slowly let go of Naruto and gestured him to follow her.

"Let me just help this customer and I'll help you pick something out for Sakura ok."

Naruto stood there for a few seconds taking in everything Ino had said. He then turned and followed her to the front of the store. By the time he made it to the counter the little elderly women was paying Ino. The old women grabbed her bag of flowers and headed towards the door.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you with your bag ma'am?" Asked Ino.

Before the little old women had a chance to reply she felt the heavy bag being lifted from her arms. She turned to see Naruto holding her bag with one arm.

"Oh my, if it isn't Uzumaki Naruto," said the little old women. "My you've really grown into such a handsome man."

Naruto grinned at the elderly women as a blush covered his face. The little old women turned back to Ino and smiled.

"We'll then my dear thank you for your help. Not only did you provide me with wonderful service but you've also given me this handsome man to help me out," chuckled the little old women as she grabbed Naruto's arm.

Ino waved goodbye as the little old women led Naruto outside the shop where her cart was. He turned around and looked at Ino.

"Hey Ino could you please start thinking of a nice type of flower for Sakura-chan?"

Ino smiled and nodded her head as she watched Naruto walk slowly next to the old women.

She cupped her face with both her hands as she looked at Naruto.

The thought of sex sent shivers down Ino's back; she perked up and giggled.

"Oh my Shikamaru is back and I'm so jumping his bones when I see him," said Ino as a devious grin spread over her rosy lips.

She stopped admiring her best friend's boyfriend and got to work on Naruto's request.

"Alright then I need to find some flowers for Sakura and it's a good thing I know she's expecting. I know now what flowers not to get her so let's see what I can do."

Naruto waved goodbye as the little old women pushed her cart down the street. He had offered to take her home but she said her grandson worked down the street and he'd be walking her home. Naruto walked back into the flower shop and found Ino wrapping up some flowers at the register. She handed Naruto the bouquet she had picked and wrapped.

"Here Naruto these pink carnations are perfect for Sakura. I know she'll love them."

Naruto took the wrapped flowers and slid his backpack of his shoulder. He unzipped it and started looking for his wallet.

"How much do I owe you Ino?"

"They're on the house tonight lover boy," giggled Ino.

Naruto looked up at her wallet in hand.

"Are you sure? I mean I don't want you to get in trouble with your folks."

Ino waved her hand at Naruto.

"Sure it's alright. Just think of it as your reward for being so nice to that little old lady. Besides my parents owe me big time, I've been here all day. I had to open and close the shop today. They both got missions today so I had to pull a double. I'm so glad the days over."

Naruto put his wallet back into his backpack and flung it back over his shoulder.

"That really sucks Ino you've had a long day then huh."

"Yeah I can't wait to just go home and relax."

Naruto's suddenly remembered the message he needed to give Ino. He snapped his fingers and pointed at her.

"Oh that reminds me, Shikamaru wanted me to tell you he's just fine and you know where he's at but that he'd make it back here in time to walk you home."

Ino knew exactly what Naruto meant. Shikamaru had Naruto, or anyone for that matter, relay this message to her whenever he was back from a mission. Ever since Asuma died Shikamaru checked on Kurenai and her baby boy each day and as soon as he was back from a mission it was the first place we went. Asuma had asked him to watch over his family on his death bed and Shikamaru was keeping his sensei's last wishes.

"Thanks Naruto," said Ino.

She looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already 9:30.

"I've got 30 minutes to start closing down the store. You better be heading over to

Sakura's yourself. I know she'll be ecstatic to see you."

Naruto agreed with a grin and waved to Ino as he started running out of the shop.

"Thanks so much Ino you're the best!"

Ino saw Naruto leap onto a building and disappear into the night.

"I know I am," she giggled."

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><p>Naruto's heart was pounding as he jumped from building to building. This was the longest he had been on a mission and he really had missed Sakura. He couldn't wait to hold her, smell her, and taste her. Before his mind could wander further on the things he wanted to do to his girlfriend he found himself on top of her apartment building. He walked over the edge and saw her small balcony that was next to her bedroom window. He jumped off the roof and onto the balcony; he looked into Sakura's window but he didn't see her in her room. He knew she was still awake since the window was open and the lights were still on in several rooms. He started to climb into her room when he caught a glimpse of her in the kitchen. She was wearing nothing but one of his black T-shirts and she was walking around the kitchen while drinking a glass of water. Naruto's shirt was too big on her so one of her shoulders was more visible as the shirt sagged to one side.<p>

Naruto watched as she made sure her front door was locked. Her long stem like legs moved gracefully as she walked around her apartment. Drool started to collect in Naruto's mouth and he felt his heart race when he thought about the things he wanted to do to her. Sakura turned the light off in the kitchen and walked into her room. She noticed something in the corner of her eye. She quickly turned to see Naruto halfway in her room while part of him was still outside the balcony.

"Hey gorgeous. I'm home."

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><p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Heads up next chapter is a lemon.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome home Naruto

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

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><p>Naruto slipped into Sakura's room and approached her. She simply stared at her boyfriend as he stood in front of her. He brought the carnations out from behind his back and showed them to her.<p>

"Hey Sakura-chan I got these for you from…"

Before he could finish his sentence Sakura tackled him; he was roughly knocked backwards and his body hit the floor with a loud thud. The flowers he had bought for Sakura had landed near his face. Sakura looked down at Naruto for just a few seconds. She straddled him and brought her face down to his. She began to kiss him passionately. Naruto's eyes widen from the sudden contact but soon his body relaxed and he eagerly returned her lustful kisses.

"God I missed you," said Sakura between each of her kisses.

"Miss you too Sakura-chan," replied Naruto as he placed his hands firmly on Sakura's hips.

Sakura relished in the contact and she rubbed herself roughly onto Naruto's crotch to show him just how happy she was. Naruto let out a low groan into her mouth. Hearing him vocalize his pleasure sent jolts of anticipation all over her body. Sakura shivered, but her hips continued to move rhythmically. Naruto squeezed Sakura's hips even harder as a result of her constant grinding. It felt amazing but a part of him was beginning to grow impatient since Sakura was simply teasing him. Naruto swiftly brought her down hard onto his growing member. She inhaled deeply as she felt him rub up against her. Naruto mentally chucked as Sakura tried to pull away from his mouth. Instead of letting her go his tongue further invaded her mouth. Sakura buried her fingers in his hair and held on tightly. She massaged his scalp loosening his forehead protector which lead to it slipping off; a light thud was heard as it hit the ground.

Sakura kissed Naruto's neck which had a delicious salty taste to it. She knew it was the tantalizing flavor of sweat her bore after training and missions. While nibbling on his neck she ran her fingers from his head to the fabric of his jacket. She rubbed her hands over his broad chest and pulled the zipper of his jacket all the way down. Her hand simply stayed below Naruto's waist but he paid little attention since his hands had made their way under her shirt. Naruto's hands glided over Sakura's silky skin. He felt the curve of her spine as she undressed him. His hands traveled to her chest where he cupped her breasts in his hands. He kneaded each one delicately and rubbed her soft nipples with his fingers. Once her nipples perked up from the much loved attention he pinched them.

"Naruto," whimpered Sakura.

Naruto smiled, he loved hearing her say his name. He continued to pinch and her pull her nipples which drove her crazy. Sakura yelped in pleasure, she couldn't take it anymore. She roughly grabbed Naruto's crotch and squeezed it hard. Naruto growled and bit down on Sakura's neck. She winced as she felt his enlarged canines clamp onto her neck; she knew that their time apart and her current actions had brought the Kyuubi out. She knew Naruto had control over him due to his training with Killer Bee. The biggest change that came after the training is that sex with Naruto was feral at times, but Sakura loved for him to dominate her and fuck her like the savage animal he was. Sakura loosened her grip on his cock and instead added her other hand to the equation. Naruto still had his jaws clenched on her neck as he fondled her breasts. Sakura quickly unbuttoned her partners pants and unzipped them; she found the slit in his boxers and slipped her hand inside. She gently grabbed his thick throbbing member and brought it out freeing it from its fabric prison. She remained relaxed and still, she knew Naruto wouldn't hurt her but he'd release her when he saw fit. She began to run her hand up and down Naruto's shaft while her other handed played with his balls. Naruto's Jaws tighten for a short moment and the taste of his lover's blood filled his mouth. The smell of it was familiar yet different somehow, he inhaled deeply through his nose taking in his women's scent and sure enough it wasn't the same. Before he could ponder further on the matter he felt Sakura began to playfully jack him off. He let go of her neck and began to lick at the puncture wounds he had let out a low growl which always sounded more like a deep purr to Sakura. She placed her hand flat on his chest and gently pushed him down.

"You always do so much for our village Naruto. You rarely have time to relax. Let me properly reward Konoha's savior," cooed Sakura.

Naruto gulped as he stared into her eyes. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he obeyed Sakura's wishes. He slipped his jacket off. He hadn't noticed his backpack was still over his shoulder. He placed it on the floor and removed his black undershirt. He saw Sakura eyes roam all over his chiseled body which caused him to smirked.

"You like what you see Sakura-chan?" Asked Naruto in a husky voice.

Sakura looked at Naruto and leaned her face towards his abs. She licked her way up his body until she reached the tip of his chin. She stopped and slowly pulled away from her boyfriend; she looked right at him. "What do you think Naruto?" Purred Sakura as she pushed his body until he was firmly planted on the floor. She positioned herself in between his legs and bent down till her warm breath reached Naruto's dick. She took his member in her hand and then placed her mouth on the tip of his head. She playfully licked at it and kissed his head. Every now and then she'd plunge his dick a little more in her mouth but not all the way. Naruto clenched his fists onto the carpet on the bedroom floor and moaned.

"Sakura-chan," moaned Naruto.

Sakura's head bobbed up and down as she swallowed all of him. The feeling was breath taking and Naruto curled up as he felt his dick hitting the back of his girlfriend's throat. He grabbed chunks of her hair and pulled her down onto his cock so she could take even more of him. Sakura's eyes watered and she almost gagged but she kept her composer. Sakura continued to pleasure Naruto; she could feel her juices flowing from her core and down her leg. She couldn't take not having him inside her. She wanted Naruto to fuck her and fuck her hard. She missed him so much, she needed him now. Naruto's nose twitched and a smile broke over his face. He knew she was ready, he could smell her sweet delicious nectar flowing from her pussy. A blow job was fantastic but Sakura was what he really wanted. He quickly sat up and pinned his sweet cherry blossom to the floor. Before she had time to show any expression other than shock, he picked her up and placed her on all fours in front of him. Sakura felt Naruto throw her shirt up; she felt the fabric of the shirt on her neck. Naruto dragged his hands over Sakura's bare back. He reached her ass and pulled her thong to the side exposing her drenched pussy. Naruto didn't hesitate at all and Sakura suddenly felt him thrust into her fiercely. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened from the sheer shock, yet not a sound came out of her mouth. Naruto grabbed Sakura hips tightly and fucked her like he had never fucked her before. There was something different about her and whatever it was it was driving him insane. He pulled her towards him with every thrust he gave her. He leaned lower into her and continued to buck his hips. He removed his hands from her hips and moved them towards her jiggling breasts. He clasped them tightly in his hands as he rammed his hard dick deeper into Sakura.

"I love you Sakura-chan," panted Naruto.

Sakura's arms gave way from all the force Naruto was putting into his thrusts; she leaned forward and grabbed onto the carpet tightly till her knuckles turned white.

"Oh god yes I love you too! Harder Naruto, harder!" Begged Sakura as she lifted her hips as high as she could.

Naruto gladly grabbed each of her hips and went full speed. He began to pant heavily as he was reaching his climax. He felt Sakura's walls engulf him with each rapid thrust he gave her. Naruto was almost at his climax but he had to make sure Sakura came before he did. He was very well capable of holding himself back from cumming so he focused solely on pleasing his beautiful girlfriend. He put himself on overdrive and plunged faster and faster into her. Sakura screamed in delight; she could feel herself getting close to the edge. Each time Naruto banged her she felt light headed and simply amazing. She felt Naruto's drool hit her bare back. She loved the sound of his panting and growling.

"Naruto!" Yelled Sakura as she buried her face into the floor; she arched her body as she came.

Her juices spilled out and splattered onto Naruto's legs. She screamed and moaned as she spilled all over her lover. Naruto gave her one last thrust as he burst inside her womb. He let out a deep roar that made her apartment walls shake. After that he collapsed onto her naked body. Only panting was shared between the two for a few minutes as they gathered themselves from their erotic encounter. Naruto pulled himself off Sakura, and looked down at her.

"Are you alright Sakura-chan? I didn't crush you did I?" Asked Naruto in a shaky voice.

"No you didn't crush me Naruto I'm fine, I'm just a little worn out," replied Sakura.

Naruto brought himself slowing to a standing position since his pants were still around his ankles. He kicked them off and helped Sakura from off the floor. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest.

"I'm so scared that I'm dreaming and I'll wake up alone in my bed," she whispered.

"I can say the same thing Sakura-chan. I thought about you every night I'd lay alone under the stars on my mission, but I can assure you it's real," said Naruto as he stroked her soft pink hair.

Sakura replied by hugging Naruto harder. Once she loosened her hug she noticed that the both of them were standing by the open window. She blushed wondering how many people had heard their lustful moans and Naruto's feral growls.

"I think maybe we should step away from the window and take a shower," said Sakura.

Naruto turned around to see the window wide open.

"Oh well looks like some people got to hear our little performance we had going on up here."

Sakura giggled at her boyfriend's remark.

"Anyhow a shower sounds great! I haven't been able to take a hot shower for three weeks! The river was all I had to clean up,"said Naruto as both he and Sakura walked to the restroom and closed the door behind them.


	4. Chapter 4: It's true Naruto

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO KISHIMOTO DOES***

Short note for this chapter, text in bold is the Kyuubi talking. That and italics are for when people are talking to themselves in their heads, anyhow enjoy.

* * *

><p>Naruto closed the bathroom door behind him; he quietly watched as Sakura got the shower water ready for them. Naruto then took off his shoes as it was the only clothing that he had on. Sakura in turn pulled Naruto's shirt over her head and took her thong off.<p>

"Thanks to your magic fingers my panties are drenched Naruto!" Scolded Sakura as she tossed her underwear into her laundry hamper.

"Oh don't act like you didn't like Sakura-chan. Would you have preferred me shredding them up instead?" Teased Naruto.

Sakura turned around to face Naruto. She did her best to give him a stern look but she knew she failed when her boyfriend just smiled at her.

"Those are one of my favorite pairs so don't be getting any ideas."

Naruto simply grinned at her at her flimsy threat. The two young lovers decided to stop bickering and instead they entered the steamy shower. The hot water hit Sakura's neck and chest. It felt amazing on her sore body. She closed her eyes and got herself fully soaked. Now that she and Naruto were alone and not all over each other the realization of her situation started to dawn on her again. That powerful moment of lust had made her completely forget what she had to confess to Naruto. Well not forget completely but it wasn't the main thing on her mind during sex. She brushed strands of wet hair from her eyes and began to tense up. Suddenly she felt Naruto behind her rubbing her shoulders lightly; he slowly nibbled her neck. He really has amazing timing.

_Naruto can always pick up on my feelings and body language, he never ceases to amaze me._

"Are you alright Sakura-chan?" Asked Naruto as his hands traveled from her shoulders to her to her breasts; he gently squeezed them with his strong hands.

"Of course I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?" Asked Sakura.

She couldn't believe those words had come out of her mouth. She sighed as Naruto's hands roamed around her chest.

"Are you sure? You seem like something is bothering you."

"I just missed you, that's all," replied Sakura.

"It's alright Sakura-chan, I'm home now."

He took one of her earlobes into his mouth and began sucking on it; Sakura giggled.

"Naruto what exactly do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan you're just so irresistible. I've been without you for so long, I can't help myself. Besides we're in the shower. Even if I get you dirty again you're already in here to get cleaned up," replied Naruto as he pulled her wet naked body up against his.

Sakura playfully jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Well that's why we're in here in the first place you moron, to get clean."

"You mean to tell me you aren't up for round two," growled Naruto as he pressed hips up against her backside.

"It's late Naruto, I'm getting really tired."

Naruto reluctantly loosened his grip on Sakura and she wiggled away from him. She spun herself around so that she could look right at him. She placed her hands on the back of his neck and brought his face towards hers for a kiss. She maneuvered him so that he was directly under the running shower. The water poured over his head, and down his chest and back. Sakura used her hands to help the water spread easier over his built body. She broke the kiss and Naruto opened his eyes confused.

"Why'd you stop Sakura-chan?"

"Because you and I need to get clean and into bed. I need to see Tsunade-sama in the morning."

Naruto pouted at Sakura's reasoning for stopping. "Alright Sakura-chan if you have something to do with Baa-chan in the morning that's fine with me. Besides I have all of tomorrow to do with you want I want so no more excuses once you get back."

Sakura tried her best not to seem nervous. She forced herself to smile.

"Oh don't you worry Naruto, I won't be making any excuses," she purred.

She slowly stroked her pointer finger along Naruto's chest. It inched its way further down until it stopped right above his pubic bone.

"I look forward to seeing just what you have in store for me Naruto," teased Sakura.

Even though he was in a hot shower Sakura's actions brought chills down Naruto's body. He tilted his head and gave her a devious smile.

"Well you could find out right now, but you're too tired so you'll just have to wait and see," said Naruto playfully.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. Her reply to his teasing was throwing a washcloth right into his face.

* * *

><p>Sakura came out from the restroom first. Her hair was still damp and she wore the same black shirt Naruto had given her. Sakura listened as the shower water still hummed in the background. Naruto wanted some time alone in the shower to just relax. If it was any other day she knew he just wanted time alone to relieve himself since she didn't want a second round with him. However this wasn't the case, she could tell he was honestly worn out from his mission. Plus they sex the had just had took him even further into exhaustion. Sakura understood his reasons for wanting to be alone. They fit perfectly because now she had time to gather her thoughts. Sakura walked to her dresser and opened one of her drawers; she picked a pair of baby blue panties and slipped them on. She then looked around her room and saw the disarray she and Naruto had made. She picked up her boyfriends clothes and forehead protector. She folded them and once she was done she laid them on top of her dresser. She knew Naruto liked sleeping naked after sex so there was no point in giving them to him. She then picked up his backpack and placed it on the floor near her dresser. That left just one last item on the floor; it was the nicely wrapped carnations Naruto had gotten for her.<p>

"Oh Naruto you're such a sweetheart," said Sakura as she picked up her gift from the floor.

She took the pink carnations to the kitchen. She flicked on the light switch and walked over to the kitchen counter top. She had a large vase with some old roses in them she had gotten last week from a patient. She took them out and poured the old water down the sink. She placed fresh water into vase, and replaced the old roses with the carnations. Sakura admired her new flowers for a few moments.

"Naruto you can be such a charmer," giggled Sakura.

She walked over to the light switch and turned it off. Sakura yawned as she made her way to bed. She climbed in and got comfortable. She pulled the covers over her head and curled up into a ball. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Now that she was alone with her thought reality of her situation hit her hard. She hadn't even given Naruto a chance to finish his sentence when she first saw him. She felt horrible, as soon as Naruto found out he'd ask her why she hadn't told him when she first saw him. In reality Sakura wasn't entirely sure why she did what she did. She'd have a hard time explaining why sex was more important than the news of their unborn child, but Sakura just couldn't help herself. When she saw Naruto she lost all control and she wanted nothing more than to just be with him. She wanted him hold her, kiss her, and make love to her. It was the most primal of feelings to be with your lover. Sakura placed her hand over her neck where Naruto had bitten her. She had healed her wound while in the shower; however due to the Kyuubi's strong chakra a scar was always sighed as she lay in bed; so many thoughts were rushing through her mind. The one thought she was sure of was that Naruto was back and he was safe. If only it could stay that simple, instead she had to tell him that he'd be a father. That meant he'd be on many more mission like the one he had just come back from. Naruto would have to help her out now. He would have to take the role of sole provider; Sakura wasn't going to be able to work forever. Now he would be supporting himself and a small family. Sakura began to run several scenarios in her head. She needed to know how she was going to tell him in the morning. She heard the shower still running so she knew she had sometime before he got into bed. She felt her eyelids grow heavier and the next thing she knew she was asleep.

Naruto looked up at the shower head with his eyes closed as the water hit his face. It felt so good to be home and this shower was just what he needed. Sakura had helped him clean himself and he did the same for her, now he was simply relaxing. Naruto sighed, it was a pity they couldn't have helped each out in other ways, but It was probably for the best. His body was worn out not just from his love making session with Sakura but from the mission over all. Sure he had the Kyuubi's abilities to heal quickly, tons of stamina, and he had large amounts of chakra but his mental status was different. He was beyond mentally exhausted, he let out a deep sigh as he tried to relax. Luckily he was home so he knew he didn't have to worry about anything stressing him out. He ran his fingers through his wet hair and stretched his body. Taking these long missions really sucks, oh but the sex I get when I came back home is well worth it. He replied his extra special welcome home surprise from Sakura in his mind. She was everything he ever wanted. She was his little vixen who loved him to give it to her hard. He smiled as his mind recalled every single lust filled moment he and Sakura had shared that night. That was some awesome sex, he hadn't ever felt anything like it. His eyes shot open as he realized something, he hadn't worn a condom. Usually Sakura was always keen on reminding him on using one. She was on birth control but they both agreed to take extra precautions. He had to admit not using one was amazing he felt everything and he loved it.

_ Oh well I might as well kiss raw sex goodbye with Sakura-chan. Maybe she was so caught up in the moment like I was that she didn't think about using a condom. Well at least she's on the pill so one time with no condom should be alright. It's not like this one time I'll get her pregnant._

Naruto turned the water off in the shower and pulled the curtains open. The restroom was engulfed with steam from the shower. He grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her waist. He stepped out of the tub and shook his head splattering water all over the fogged mirror.

"Man it feels great to be clean," said Naruto cheerfully.

He wiped the foggy mirror with his hand so that he could see his reflection. He ran his fingers through his wet messy blonde hair. He looked around the sink for the toothbrush he always left just in case he spent the night at Sakura's. He saw it placed in the toothbrush holder next to his girlfriend's. Even after his shower the taste of Sakura's blood was still in his mouth. He had really bitten her hard this time, maybe a little too hard.

"I hope I didn't hurt her too bad," whispered Naruto.

He shook the idea from his mind, if he had in fact been too rough Sakura would have let him know. Naruto decided to pick up the pace so that he could get into bed; it had been a long day. He reached for his toothbrush so that he could brush his teeth. Once he was done he rinsed his mouth. He tried to place the toothbrush back it its holder but he accidentally knocked it over; he caught it before it hit the floor.

"Phew that was a close one," said Naruto.

He put the toothbrush holder back on the counter and placed his toothbrush back in its proper spot. Suddenly something in the trash can caught his attention. He bent down so that he could get a closer look. Something was sticking straight out; it looked like a plastic thermometer from where he was at. He pulled it out of the trash and examined it. At first he had no idea what it was but upon further examination he noticed the tiny blue plus mark inside it. His mouth dropped open and his legs gave way causing him to land on the toilet seat in shock.

"It's a pregnancy test, why in the world would this be in Sakura-chan's trash can?"

His hand was trembling, he was a nervous wreck. Finally he snapped out of it and rose from the toilet seat. He quickly opened the bathroom door and stormed out.

"Sakura-chan is this what I think it is!?"

He got no answer though, Sakura was sound asleep. The blonde haired shinobi stood there dumbfounded in the entrance of the bathroom; water still dripping from his hair. "This can't be right, it just can't be," whispered Naruto while pulling his hair back in frustration.

"She can't be pregnant, can she?"

**"You can be such a naive fool you know that," yawned the Kyuubi.**

Naruto listened as the demon fox inside him spoke. His training with Killer Bee had showed him how to control the Kyuubi's negative chakra by tapping its chakra into his own, now he and the Kyuubi were fully one. That meant that the Kyuubi would randomly pop up in Naruto's head just to put in his two cents.

"What do you mean naive!?" Naruto shouted in his defense.

**"She is pregnant Naruto, and it's ours don't worry, our mate is loyal even though we've been on a long mission."**

Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

"How can you be so sure? You know this test could easily been Ino's or Tenten's."

**"Her scent you idiot, you smelled it while you were mating with her did you not?" Snapped the Kyuubi.**

"That's right I did notice that she smelled and tasted different, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly why. Her being pregnant would explain it. She also seemed like something was on her mind in the shower. I knew something was wrong but I believed her when she says it was nothing."

**"Yes well she's with child Naruto."**

"When did it happen?"

**"Don't you remember about a month and a half ago you went over to Sakura's apartment. For some she drove you insane with any movement she did. Do you remember that?"**

Naruto crossed his arms trying to remember. His eyes widen when he remembered that passionate night they had both shared.

"I do come to think of it, that was some insane sex."

The Kyuubi snickered; its laughter, echoed in Naruto's head.

**"Well she was in heat. That's why she was driving us both crazy that day."**

"Hey but wait, I wore a condom, and Sakura-chan was on birth control how could this happen?!"

** "Keh when you smelled her and I knew she was in heat your sperm was infused with my chakra so it ripped right through that condom. Plus human drugs such as birth control mean nothing when a mythical creature wants to impregnate his mate. Subconsciously you knew what you were doing that night, you just weren't aware of it at the time."**

"So you're saying I meant for this to happen?!"

**"Yes deep down you did, you were reacting with your instincts, and that's my department. So I gave you what we both wanted."**

"This can't be happening," said Naruto, the color from his face was fading.

**"Why are you upset? You should be proud our mate is carrying our pup, or pups if she has a larger litter. She's young, beautiful, and strong. She's a proper woman to bare our offspring. Besides I know we love her and she loves us too, so what's the problem?"**

Naruto walked back into the bathroom placing the pregnancy test on the sink.

"I don't know, this is just the last thing I thought I'd be coming home too. Sakura-chan pregnant isn't a bad thing don't get me wrong. I am happy, but I'm just in shock."

**"Well get over it Naruto, what's done is done. We need to provide a larger den for our mate now. Our pup is going to need room to grown and run and neither her place nor ours will suffice. Plus we must provide her with plenty of food and protection, no harm must come to her," growled the Kyuubi.**

"You're right about that Kyuubi. It looks like we have a lot on hands right now."

** "Keh it won't be that hard, then again you are just a young human," said the Kyuubi.**

With those last words the demon fox left Naruto alone in the restroom to gather his thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5: Start of a family

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO, EVEN THOUGH I'D LOVE TOO***

* * *

><p>Sakura opened her eyes; she slowly tilted her so that she could get a better look at her alarm clock. Her version was still a bit blurry so she rubbed her eyes so she could be better focused; it was 5:45am. Her stomach churned and she moaned. Her one day of no morning sickness was over. Sakura slowly rolled over to see Naruto snoring on his side of the bed. Just watching him sleep brought a smile to her face. However her smile soon started to fade as her stomach began performing somersaults. Sakura jumped out of bed quickly and ran towards the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet; she puke up fiercely. The sudden movement in bed made Naruto shift uncomfortably. He opened his eyes to find the bedroom still covered in a light grey haze. He could tell it was early in the morning. He lifted himself up looking around the room wondering what had woken him up. His mind was sluggish and he simply stared off into space. His ears perked at the sound of Sakura gasping for air. He scrambled out of bed trying to get to her aid. His movements weren't as quick and graceful as he intended them to be and his legs got tangled up in the bed sheets. Naruto fell off the bed and his face slammed into the floor as the rest of his body followed.<p>

"Son of a bitch!"

Sakura felt a huge thud through the floor and looked up towards the bed. Naruto wasn't there and Sakura panicked. Before she couldn't figure out where he had gone his appeared from the floor near his side of the bed. Naruto was rubbing his face and mumbling to himself. He turned his head towards the bathroom and there was Sakura, staring right at him. Their eyes met and both of them were frozen with fear. Neither one of them said anything for a few seconds, they simply stared at one another. Sweat began to build on Sakura's brow, her mouth felt dry despite the fact she had been vomiting. Naruto slowly got up and walked over to Sakura's dresser. He grabbed his boxers and slipped them on. Sakura watched as Naruto left her field of vision. She wondered if he was going to come back. She was about to confront him when she felt more vomit climb up her throat; she leaned forward into the toilet bowl once more. Sakura coughed and began to spit trying to get the taste of bile out of her mouth. Suddenly she felt Naruto's hand on her shoulder; she looked up alarmed at the sudden contact.

"It's the baby isn't it Sakura-chan. It's the reason you're sick right?"

Sakura was stunned at Naruto's words; she searched his face to see if there was a sign of resentment. Naruto couldn't look her in the eyes so he slightly turned his gaze elsewhere. Naruto was afraid Sakura didn't want him to know, and now the cat was out of the bag. Sakura slowly rose from the floor, she flushed the toilet and reach for a nearby washcloth that was on her bathroom counter. She then braced herself and turned towards Naruto.

"How did you find out? Wait take that back that's not what I meant!" Screeched Sakura as she waved her hands apologetically at Naruto. "I was going to tell you Naruto, honestly."

Naruto grabbed the pregnancy test from behind a box of tissues; he had hidden it before he had gone to bed. He held it up and showed it to her. Her eyes widened, she thought she had thrown it away.

"You left this in the trash can. I found it when I got out of the shower. The Kyuubi told me it was yours and that it was true. I have to be honest with you Sakura-chan. I knew something was up during sex. I noticed you smelled different and your blood doesn't taste the same anymore either. I just had no idea this was the reason why."

"I see," whispered Sakura.

"So how long has that test been in there? How long have you known about this?"

"I missed my period before you left for your mission. I figured I was just late but then I started getting morning sickness a few days after you left. I won't lie Naruto once I started getting sick I knew I was pregnant, I was just too scared to take a test. I finally mustered the courage and took one two days ago. That's the test your holding in your hand."

Naruto moved over to the sink and hung his head low as Sakura spoke.

"I'm so sorry Sakura-chan, this is all my fault. The Kyuubi knew you were in heat, I mean that you were ovulating, and he made sure you'd get pregnant by infusing my sperm with his chakra. It broke through the condom. We've used condoms since we first started having sex and we've never had any mishaps so I didn't bother checking it for tears, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me? Aren't you mad at me?" asked Sakura.

Naruto turned towards his girlfriend; he took a few steps in her direction and gently grabbed both her arms.

"Why in the world would I be mad at you? You should be the one that's pissed at me since I'm technically responsible."

Sakura looked up at her boyfriend's face, his expression showed great concern for her; she knew he really did loved her. Yet she still carried a great burden and it pulsated in her chest. Sakura thought that if Naruto knew the truth she'd feel better, but she still felt horrible. Tears ran down her face uncontrollably as she threw herself into Naruto's arms. All she wanted was for him to hold wrapped his muscular arms around her. He gently rested his chin on her head. Sakura sobbed uncontrollably into Naruto's bronze skin.

"Please don't cry Sakura-chan please, I'm sorry."

"I just can't help but feel horrible Naruto, I didn't tell you right away. I lied to you when we were in the shower. You asked me if I was ok and instead of being honest with you I decided to keep the truth from you."

"..."

"We're both so young Naruto, and you have so much going for you right now. It looks like nothing has changed, I'm still that person that's just keeping you behind from your dream of becoming Hokage."

"Please Sakura-chan calm down. I'm happy that you're pregnant. I'm just surprised is all. I mean I never thought I'd come back to you expecting, but I think it's amazing. I love you and you aren't, and never will be, a burden to me, nor will our child," said Naruto as he rubbed his cheek against her lovely soft pink hair. "I never had a family, or at least I never got the chance to know them. Now I get a chance to give my child what I never had. I love you so much and I've always wanted to have a family with you, and now it looks like I got my wish."

"I love you too Naruto, but I'm not sure I can forgive myself for being so foolish."

"Stop beating yourself up Sakura-chan. What's done is done, you can take back your actions. I know you didn't mean for me to find out the way I did but it happened and that can't be changed. So what's the point in still feeling guilty about all of this. It honestly bothers me more that you're still so tore up about all of this."

"..."

"It's alright, we're in this together and I'll always be by your side Sakura-chan."

"You aren't just saying that, right Naruto?" Asked Sakura as she wiped her tears.

"I meant everything I said. I love you Sakura-chan, more than you'll ever know," said Naruto as he held her close.

He slowly leaned in for a passionate kiss when Sakura suddenly placed two of her fingers on his lips instead. He opened his eyes since he was denied a kiss. Sakura blushed.

"I still have morning sickness breath Naruto."

Naruto laughed nervously.

"Fair enough Sakura-chan, why don't you freshen up and come back to bed. You need your rest after all."

Naruto kissed Sakura on the forehead before he went back to bed. He fell back onto the soft mattress and stretched. He then pulled the bed sheets over his body and looked out Sakura's window. The sun was barely making an appearance for the day. He folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. He had no clue when it came to kids, let alone babies. He felt his stomach start to turn when he thought of the word babies. The Kyuubi had said it was possible she could be having more than one. Naruto shivered, at the thought of multiples. He could still hear Sakura in the bathroom getting cleaned up. Naruto still felt extremely nervous about everything but he didn't want to alarm Sakura. So in an attempt to get a hold of himself Naruto inhaled deeply and slowly released his breath slowly. He felt his tense body relax and after a few moments he regained his composure. Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened and Sakura emerged. Naruto turned his gaze from the ceiling towards her. She was gorgeous, all his, and pregnant with his child.

"Everything ok Naruto?" Asked Sakura.

She looked so fragile at that moment like if even looking at her would break her. Naruto smiled at her causing Sakura to blush.

"Yeah I'm alright just admiring what a beauty I have all to myself."

"Well I have myself quite a catch too," cooed Sakura as she made her way into bed.

She snuggled up close to Naruto and wrapped her delicate arms around his strong torso. Naruto bent his neck down and took in her scent. It was still her yet it wasn't, he'd have to get use to this new smell. The smell of his Sakura-chan and their child.

* * *

><p>Naruto woke up to Sakura still clinging to his body. She had been like that since they had last talked. The blonde haired shinobi yawned. He wished he could just stay in bed a little longer but he had to head over to his apartment and drop off his stuff. Then he had to pick up his half of the money he was owed from his mission. He looked over at Sakura's alarm clock; it was 8:15am.<p>

"I better get moving," he softly muttered.

He slowly pried Sakura from his body. She looked so peaceful and the last thing he wanted to do was wake her up. He sat on the side of her bed with his feet planted on the ground. After mentally preparing himself for the day Naruto stood up and walked over to Sakura's dresser. There he found his nicely folded clothes waiting for him. He took his pants and slipped them on one leg at a time. He zipped them up and continued to get dressed in silence. Finally he tightened his forehead protector and made his way to the kitchen. He saw that Sakura had placed the flowers he had given her in a vase sometime during the night; he smiled. Naruto yawned once more as he began to look around the kitchen. He was in search of something to write last thing Naruto needed was for Sakura to think he had left her because he didn't want to deal with this whole pregnancy thing. He finally found a small note pad in one of the kitchen drawers. He quickly grabbed a pen that was nearby and wrote down what he was doing for the day. Once he was done he ripped the sheet he needed from the notepad and walked back into Sakura's room where he placed his note on her night stand. He then grabbed his shoes and sat down so that he could put them on. Once he was done he stood up and flung his backpack over his left shoulder. Before he left he made his way over to Sakura. He leaned over her and kissed her left cheek.

"I love you both."

With that said he walked out of Sakura's apartment leaving his new family behind.

* * *

><p>Naruto walked outside Sakura's apartment building, it was a beautiful sunny day in Konoha. Children ran in the streets throwing toy kunai's at each other. They mimicked hand singles and with the aid of their imaginations they performed elaborate jutsu's. One little boy ran right into Naruto's leg and fell to the floor. Naruto hadn't been paying attention so he was a little surprised to feel someone run into him. He looked down at the small boy who had run into him.<p>

"Hey kid you alright?" Asked Naruto.

The little boy looked up at Naruto in awe. His friends weren't far and they all gathered around Naruto.

"Wow it's a real shinobi!" Yelled one little boy while pointing at Naruto.

"It isn't just any shinobi you idiot that's Uzumaki Naruto! My mom told me he's the shinobi who defeated Pain, and Uchiha Madara," said another little boy.

"Wow cool!"

Suddenly Naruto found himself surrounded by a crowd of tiny admirers. The children pulled on his arms and the side of his jacket while one admired the kunai he had in its sheath that was strapped behind his lower back. It had been a little over a year since Naruto had personally brought an end to the fourth great shinobi war and he was still getting use to all the attention he'd get when he roamed the streets of Konoha. Each child was asking him questions upon question and honestly Naruto had no clue what was going on or what to say.

"Boys that's enough please leave Mr. Uzumaki alone."

Naruto looked up to see a young woman in her early twenties approaching him with her arms folded. The boy's saw the women coming closer and they retreated back to their shinobi game. As they left Naruto heard one little boy whisper to another.

"Naruto is so cool."

The young women sighed as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry about that. Those four little rascals are part of a day care center my grandmother runs. They should be playing close by but it seems they wondered a little too far this time. I'm really sorry if they were a bother," said the woman as she bowed in front of Naruto.

"Oh no please it's alright, they weren't a bother. When I was their age I was the same way any time I saw a shinobi."

The young woman's face seemed a little sad at Naruto's comment and she lowered her head.

"I'm so sorry you were treated so badly by the villagers when you were younger. Everyone was so cruel to you, it was so horrible. Now you're their hero and it upsets me how now those awful people tell stories of how they know you and that you're the best of friends, it's sickening really. You're a good man Uzumaki Naruto. You've saved this village so many times even when it's caused you so much sorrow."

"That isn't entirely true. Over the years I've found people here that really are my friends. My past wasn't a pleasant one but it's made me appreciate what I have now, and for that I'm thankful."

The young lady saw Naruto's genuine smile and she couldn't help but smile herself. He slowly started walking away from her when he paused.

"Besides I protect this village not only for the villagers and my friends, but for my new family as well."

The young women tilted her head at his comment but she simply shrugged it off and waved goodbye. Naruto waved back and walked off thinking of what he had just said. He loved Konoha, it was his home and no matter what had happened in the past he would always defend his home and friends. He lifted his head up to look at the clear blue sky then there was his family. It was true he finally had a family all his own. One to love, to hold, and to protect.


	6. Chapter 6: Friendly advice

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Naruto stood in front of his apartment door. He let out a sigh of relief; it was good to be home. He reached deep into his pocket to retrieve his keys. He quickly found them and unlocked his door. Hot air greeted him as he reluctantly walked inside. It was dreadfully stuffy in his apartment but that was expected since it was summer time in Konoha. Plus Naruto hadn't been in his apartment in over three weeks, so his suffocating welcome home was expected. His poor place hadn't had any circulation since he'd left.<p>

"Man I can never get a break," muttered Naruto as he noticed a thin layer of dust on some of his belongings.

He threw his backpack on his bed and sat down. He reached for his cell phone that was on a bookcase by his bed. It was dead since he always left it behind when he went on missions. He grabbed the charger and plugged it into an outlet by his bed.

"There this way Sakura-chan can get a hold of me if she needs too."

Naruto look around his quiet apartment. It wasn't necessarily dirty, it was just hot and dusty. He was lucky that Sakura had come over before he left to help him clean up. All he really had to do now was let the apartment air out and wipe all the dust off his furniture. It was a simple enough task but he couldn't help but frowned at the thought. Cleaning wasn't one of his favorite things to do.

"Well no point in beating around the bush. I need to get this done before I let Sakura-chan come in here."

With that said he got up and walked over to the window by his bed. He opened it and then flipped a switch on the wall that turned on his air conditioner.

"There that should at least take care of the suffocating feeling this place has."

Naruto then walked to his kitchen sink and bent down opening the cabinets below. He pulled out a crate that had cleaning supplies in them. He never really kept anything like this in his place before but Sakura changed that. She had left this box on one of her last visits.

"Alright let's get things started," sighed Naruto as he prepared for his cleaning mission at hand.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru stood outside Naruto's apartment building with two soft drink cans in his hands. He looked up to see Naruto's open window.<p>

"Looks like he's home," Said Shikamaru as he made his way towards the stairs.

Halfway up he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He moved one soft drink over so he held both soft drinks in one hand. He reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out his phone. It was a text from Ino; he opened it and found himself reading it out loud.

"Shikamaru let me know ASAP if Sakura is with Naruto, it's important that I talk to her! Don't ask questions, it's a personal matter. You know, girl stuff. Don't be gone too long, love you!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"I swear this woman never stops. I just dropped her off at work and yet she texts me after I leave. If it was so important why didn't she just tell me in person when I was still with her. God she's so troublesome," muttered Shikamaru as he continued his trek towards Naruto's.

He reached the top of the stairs but instead of finding Naruto's door closed he found it wide open. Shikamaru peered inside his friends apartment; the smell of pine cleaner was everywhere. He stepped inside to find rags and buckets of cleaning supplies everywhere. He carefully watched his step as he made his way to Naruto's bedroom.

"Yo Naruto where you at?"

Shikamaru heard the toilet flush and the water from the sink turn on. Naruto emerged soon after.

"Shikamaru?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Nice reply smart ass."

"Here catch," replied Shikamaru as he threw Naruto one of the cold soft drinks.

"Oh wow thanks Shikamaru. I really need this right now."

Both friends sat side by side on Naruto's bed. Naruto rubbed the cool can across his forehead and opened it up; he chugged most of it in one gulp.

"Wow someone was thirsty."

"Yeah it's so hot today."

"Tell me about it. My place was a Sauna when I got home last night. There's nothing like walking into a hot apartment after a long mission. You'd think that it would be cooler since it was night time, but no it was like walking into the surface of the freaking sun."

"Nice," comment Naruto as he drank the rest of his soft drink.

"So then what's the occasion? Is Sakura coming over to inspect your place or what?"

"No I just need to clean all this dust off my furniture. You know Sakura-chan has bad allergies," replied Naruto.

"Ah I see. So then where is Sakura? I thought she would have been here with you."

"Oh I left her at her place. I figured there wasn't a reason to wake her up."

"Well that must be nice. I wish I could just stop and go back to sleep myself," yawned Shikamaru.

"Same here, so where's Ino? Did she have work again?"

"Yeah her parents aren't back yet. She was really irritated last night. You know how clingy she can be when I've been gone for a while. She just wanted to stay and cuddle with me this morning, but I had to be the bearer of bad news. I literally had to drag her out of bed. Luckily she got over the whole having to go to work thing after eating breakfast. I dropped her off at work and then I made my way over here."

"Oh so you came from her parents shop?"

"Yeah and as soon as I leave she sends me this text," said Shikamaru as he handed Naruto his phone.

Naruto took it and read what it said. A chill went down his back. He knew this text had to do with Sakura being pregnant. He began to panic. He vaguely heard Shikamaru complaining about Ino, but his mind was elsewhere.

"Naruto."

"..."

"Naruto."

"..."

"Hey Naruto!" Snapped Shikamaru.

"What?!" Replied Naruto nervously.

"I said do you have any idea what she's talking about?" Asked Shikamaru as he took a drink from his soda.

"Of course not!" Naruto shouted.

Shikamaru gave his friend a questionable look.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I um, you see."

"Yeah?"

Naruto looked at his best friend, it was now or never.

"Sakura-chan's pregnant!"

Naruto winced as the words came out of his mouth. He slowly opened his eyes to see Shikamaru's reaction, but there was no reaction at all. In all the years Naruto had known Shikamaru he never thought he'd see him this way, speechless. The smartest shinobi he knew with an IQ over two hundred had nothing to say. Finally after what seemed like forever he spoke.

"How did you find out, did she flat out tell?"

"No not really. I went by her apartment last night and she jumped me before I could even say hello. We had sex right then and there. Afterwards we showered. I stayed a little longer while she got out and went to bed. I found the pregnancy test in the trash when I was getting dressed. At first I thought maybe it was Tenten's or Ino's."

Shikamaru spit out some of his drink upon hearing Naruto's remark.

"Don't even joke about that Naruto!"

Shikamaru winced right after his comment; he realized a little too late how harsh it sounded.

"And I just went and made an ass of myself. I'm sorry Naruto, I didn't mean it like that," said Shikamaru as he brushed his mouth with his sleeve.

"Nah It's alright Shikamaru. I know what you meant, but it's no joke for Sakura-chan and I. The Kyuubi confirmed that she really is pregnant. That's the real reason why I left her home. I figured she needed her rest."

There was an awkward silence between the two young shinobi as they sat side by side on Naruto's bed. Neither one of them knew what to say. After a few moments Naruto felt Shikamaru's hand on his left shoulder.

"You know I'll help you out in any way I can Naruto. I'm sure Ino would agree with me. I know it sounds a bit cliche but everything is going to be ok."

"Thanks Shikamaru, I really appreciate it. I'm just trying to accept it you know. I can't let Sakura-chan know I'm scared shitless. I'm the man, I have to be strong."

"Well you're right here stressing over it so that's a good thing," said Shikamaru.

"How can me stressing be a good thing?"

"It shows you're concerned for not just Sakura, but for the baby. Its obvious that you love her and your stress is proof that you want the best for not just your girlfriend but for your child as well. You know how many losers there are out in the world who leave their girlfriends when they find out they're pregnant?"

"Yeah I guess you're right. I'd never leave Sakura-chan alone to raise our baby," replied Naruto.

"Damn straight you wouldn't leave her. If you did Ino and Sakura would personally track you down and kill you! I'd have to gather your remains and bury my best friend."

"Heh you're right about that. Those two would hunt me down relentlessly. There would be no point in running," lightly chuckled Naruto.

"So what's your long term plan?"

"What do you mean long term plan?"

"Like what's your plan for the future? You need to think of Sakura, the baby, and yourself now."

Naruto thought for a moment, he was still in so much shock that the future was the last thing on his mind. Shikamaru could tell his best friend hadn't thought of anything.

"Look I can help you out with a few ideas. For starters I'm sure Tsunade-sama knows about the pregnancy so that takes care of the baby's health. Then you need to get more missions so you can start putting money aside. If it's one thing I've learn from looking after Kurenai and her son is that kids are expensive as hell. Then you need to figure out your whole living situation. I mean it's pretty pointless for the two of you to be living in separate places, especially if you have a kid on the way. You need to move into together or look for a bigger place to move into."

"Wow Shikamaru you really know your stuff."

"I'm flattered Naruto, really," yawned Shikamaru.

"You're such a smart ass you know that. Just take a compliment."

"Thanks for the advice I'll keep that in mind."

Before Naruto could think of a good comeback Shikamaru's phone rang.

"Shit it's Ino. She's gonna be pissed that I didn't text her."

Shikamaru reluctantly opened his phone preparing himself for a lecture.

"Hello? Yes I got your text. I know you said it was important, but before I could text you Naruto told me what it was you wanted to talk to Sakura about."

Naruto heard Ino scream in excitement, Shikamaru pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Yes Ino he knows already. Yes he's very happy. You should see him right now, he's doing freking backflips. Yes I'm still with him, he's right in front of me."

"Hi Ino!"

"See you heard him yourself. Oh and to answer your question if you didn't already guess his baby's momma isn't here, she's at her place. Yeah ok I'll see you later on tonight. Yes your place tonight I know. Alright Ino, yeah I love you too, bye."

"Nice looks like you going for round two tonight huh," teased Naruto as he jabbed Shikamaru in the ribs.

Shikamaru's face grew red. He didn't like bringing up his personal life. He was very private, especially when it came to his sex life.

"Ah I can tell by the look on your face that I'm right."

The shadow shinobi glared at Naruto; he was obviously annoyed.

"To think you're going to be a father, poor kid."

Naruto quickly tackled Shikamaru and they both fell onto the floor with a thud.

"Take that back Shikamaru or I'll tell Ino you spilled the beans to Kiba about your guys sex life!"

"But I didn't and she wouldn't believe you if you did you dumbass," said Shikamaru as he tried pushing Naruto off him.

Naruto suddenly caught a glanced of Shikamaru's neck. There in plain sight was a huge hickey. A devilish grin appeared on Naruto's face.

"Alright, even if she doesn't believe me I can always tell Kiba and the guys about this this" said Naruto as he poked the side of Shikamaru's neck. Shikamaru surrender and quickly covered the mark Ino had left on his neck.

"Alright fine you win. I take it back," replied Shikamaru as he rubbed his neck. "I honestly don't know why Ino insists on giving these to me. It's like she marking me as her property or something. I swear if it was up to her I'd look like a freakin leopard."

"What's wrong it's just a hickey."

"Yeah I guess. I don't how Sakura does it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't think people haven't seen those canine marks you've left on her neck."

"Hey it's not my fault that I know how to keep things interesting in my sex life. If you like I can give you some pointers," said Naruto as he opened and slammed his jaws closed showing his enlarged canines.

A silence filled the room for a few seconds, suddenly both of them began to laugh.

"You're so full of it Naruto. I think that's one of the corniest lines I've heard from you yet," chuckled Shikamaru.

Naruto rolled around on the floor holding his sides as he continued laughing. After a good laughed he lifted himself off the floor. He reached his hand down to help Shikamaru back on his feet.

"Thanks again Shikamaru it's nice to let go and not be so stressed. I can always count on you."

"It's no big deal Naruto, no worries ok."

"Ok."

"So have you been to Tsunade-sama's office to pick up your part of the mission?"

"No I was going to leave but you caught me before I left."

"I haven't gone yet either wanna go together?"

"Sure that sounds cool. Just let me get my keys and phone okay."

Naruto grabbed his things and looked at his phones battery; it had enough juice to last him on his short trip. He put his things in his pocket and headed outside with Shikamaru. Both friends made their way down the stairs. They started talking about their mission and their girlfriends. Shikamaru laughed out loud at one of Naruto's jokes. The young jinchuuriki watched as his best friend laughed and he couldn't help but smile. He finally started feeling like himself and he truly believed Shikamaru's words, everything really would be okay.

* * *

><p>Sakura woke up to find herself alone in bed. She sat up and looked around her bedroom. Her boyfriend was nowhere in sight.<p>

"Naruto where are you?"

She waited patiently for a reply but Naruto never answered.

"Where could he possibly be? I hope everything's okay."

Sakura looked at her alarm clock it was 11:15am. She had really slept in. She was about to get out of bed when something by her alarm clock caught her attention. It was a small piece of paper. She picked it up and read it.

_Sakura-chan don't worry everything is fine, I didn't want to wake you. I have some errands to run today so I'll be busy. I'll see you later on today though. If you need me please call me. I'll have my phone on me. I love you both._

_Naruto._

Sakura placed the letter on her lapped and smiled. She rubbed her stomach gently.

"Did you hear that? Despite everything I did wrong your daddy loves us both. You and I are so lucky to have your father in our lives."

Sakura was finally relieved that she and Naruto had talked about her pregnancy. However the feeling of guilt still clung to her chest. Suddenly her phone began to ring. Its high pitch sound snapped Sakura out of her day dreaming. She could tell that it was Ino, what with the ringtone she gave her. She answered it but before she could even say hello she heard Ino barking an order at her.

"Open your door I'm coming up the stairs!"

Sakura sprang out of bed and headed for the door. She could hear Ino's footsteps coming down the hallway. She opened the door just in time to see Ino jump towards her grabbing her arms tightly.

"Oh my god Sakura I just heard that Naruto knows! I didn't think you had the guts to tell him right away!"

Sakura stared at her best friend and said nothing. Ino let go of Sakura's arms and tilted her head trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Is everything ok?"

Sakura turned around to close the door, she slowly looked Ino in the face.

"I didn't tell him Ino."

"What do you mean you didn't tell him? I talked to Shikamaru a little while ago and he told me Naruto knows. What exactly am I missing here?" Asked Ino.

"Naruto found the pregnancy test I took when he got out of the shower. I was asleep when it happened. He didn't want to wake me up to confront me. I woke up early this morning with horrible morning sickness. Naruto heard the commotion I was causing. It was then that he told me he knew about the baby."

"Oh wow so that's how he found out."

"Oh god Ino you should have seen his face. It tore my heart to see him like that. I've seen him face so many dangers before but I've never seen him look so lost and scared. I felt lower than dirt."

"Sakura…"

"Naruto promised me that everything between us is alright, but I still feel awful."

"Hey it's out in the open now Sakura, there's no turning back now. If Naruto is okay with everything why bother crying over spilled milk?"

"I guess you're right,"

"No I am right Sakura. Did you know that I heard Naruto over the phone when I was talking to

Shikamaru this morning, and he sounded just fine. Actually he sounded very happy," said Ino as she patted Sakura's shoulder.

"Really?"

"Yup, so just relax alright. Stress is the last thing you need right now."

"You're right Ino. I just need to take it easy."

"See I know about these things Sakura. Now come on let's sit down."

"Since when did you become an advice expert?"

"The day that my best friend needed me that's when," said Ino as she led Sakura to the kitchen.

"So what are you doing here anyway? I thought you told me you had to work this morning,"

said Sakura as she sat down.

"Oh that. Well I decided I needed an hour lunch so I closed the shop. In all reality I ate in the backroom before I left. I just wanted to come and talk to you. Besides that's what my parents get for not getting someone else to watch the shop."

"Well I'm flattered that you left your parents shop during the lunch hour rush just for me. Or did you just leave so you could hear what gossip you could suck out of me?"

"Of course not! To think I came all the way up here for gossip on your baby's daddy's reaction is an insult," said Ino. "What gave you the idea that I'd do such a thing?"

The two girls laughed hysterically. Sakura wiped off a tear on the corner of her eye.

"No but seriously Sakura what happened when Naruto got home?" Asked Ino.

Sakura blushed deeply at her friends questions. Scenes from the night before began to flood Sakura's mind.

"Oh Ino it was amazing! I couldn't help myself I tackled him as soon as I saw him. We had sex right on the floor. I don't know what came over me. I just needed him right then and there."

Ino giggled while holding the sides of her face with her hands.

"Oh I know what you mean. Shikamaru picked me up from work last night. He was planning on taking me home but I had other plans. I tackled him as soon as we got to his apartment. I was so rough that I slammed him into a wall. I bet he has a huge bump on his head. Plus I left a deliciously huge hickey on his neck."

Sakura pulled her hair aside to show Ino Naruto's version of a hickey. Ino eyes widened and she leaned in for a closer look.

"Oh my god Sakura I don't know how you can take that! I'd punch Shikamaru if he did that to me. Then again that would be kind of hot," Ino giggled.

"Oh believe me the first time Naruto bit me I almost lost it. I tried to punch him but it only gets him more riled up and he bites harder. Besides I love when he does it. I know it sounds a little twisted but it drives me crazy when he marks me as his property."

"It's not crazy," said Ino as she lightly touched the petals of the carnations on the table.

"It's not?"

"No that's exactly why I do it to Shikamaru. I want everyone to know that he's mine."

"I bet he must hate that," giggled Sakura.

"Oh yeah he can be such a purd sometimes, but I'm slowly breaking him in. One of these days I'm going to get him to do something crazy with me."

"I'm not even going to ask."

"Oh believe you me when it happens you'll. So then lets get this conversation back on track.

What are you and Naruto going to do?"

"Well what do you mean?"

"Like Is Naruto moving in with you? Or are you moving in with him?"

"Well we haven't gotten that far yet in the discussion we had this morning. I'm honestly not sure how Naruto would want to do things."

"Well since he isn't here right now to share his ideas with us why don't you just tell me what you'd want to do."

"Well I think it would be better if I moved in with him since he lives right next to Tsunade-sama and the hospital. That or we can find a new place in that area. One thing I am certain of is that money is going to be tight. You know kunoichi's that are pregnant aren't allowed on any missions at all. Not just that but I'm not sure if I'll be able to work at the hospital since I'll be using my chakra every day to heal others."

"You're right I totally forgot about the financial part. So what are you thinking of doing?"

"I'm not sure, but it's clear that I'm going to have to depend on Naruto a lot," whispered Sakura.

"Don't worry Sakura I can help you out. You know you can always work at the flower shop with me. No chakra required, and I know my parents will pay you well. So don't worry. I mean it's not like you're struggling already," said Ino.

"Wow you'd really help me out like that Ino?

"Of course, you're my best friend."

Sakura rose from her seat and hugged Ino tightly. Ino hugged her back.

"Thank you Ino."

"It's no big deal Sakura, you know that I'll help you out in any way I can."

"This really means a lot to me. It's one less thing I don't have to stress about."

"You're welcome Sakura, and guess what I have another way for you to relieve stress."

"What do you mean?"

"Well this is the first time in four months that everyone is home. All the teams are here in the village. So I decided to have a party at my place tonight. You and Naruto should come. It wouldn't be a party without you guys."

"A party?"

"Yeah it'll do you both some good, you know, just a hang out with friends night."

"That sounds really nice Ino, but I don't want anyone else to know I'm pregnant ok. I think it's too soon. Once Naruto and I get use to the idea then I'll share it with everyone else."

"That's fine I understand, my lips are sealed," said Ino as she pretended to zip her mouth shut. "Well I better be heading back to the shop. I don't want the regulars telling my parents about my lunch break. So I'll see you tonight right?"

"Sure I'll see you tonight," said Sakura as she walked Ino out. "Call me when you're heading home ok."

"Sure thing," replied Ino.

The blonde haired kunoichi turned the corner in Sakura's apartment hallway and was gone. Sakura slowly closed her door thinking about her new plans. Ino was right it would do her and Naruto some good; they really needed to be around their friends right now. Sakura walked into her room to get dressed for the day. She saw her cellphone on the floor; a busy signal could be heard. She had dropped it when she ran to open the door for Ino.

"I hope Naruto hasn't tried calling._"_

She closed her phone and reopened it; she had five missed calls, all from Naruto. She didn't bother listening to the messages she just wanted to let him know that she was alright. She didn't even hear the phone ring all she heard was Naruto's worried voice on the other line.

"Sakura-chan is everything ok?! Why didn't you answer your phone?!"

"I'm really sorry Naruto I woke up and saw your letter but before I could do anything else Ino came over and we talked. I left my phone on in my room and I missed all your calls, I'm sorry."

"Thank god, I was just concerned that's all. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes I am. I really needed the rest, thanks for letting me sleep in."

"It's no big deal Sakura-chan I knew you needed your sleep. Look I'm here at the treasury office picking up my money. I'll be heading back to your place as soon as I'm done alright."

"Okay that sounds good Naruto I'll be waiting for you."

"Alright Sakura-chan I love you."

"I love you too Naruto."

With that said Sakura smiled and hung up the phone.


	7. Chapter 7: Missing Piece

***NARUTO IS SO HOT…AND SO NOT MINE***

* * *

><p>There weren't too many people coming in and out of the treasury building since available missions were currently low. Peace was wonderful, but the availability of missions had decreased because significantly. Sadly conflict and war is what kept missions coming, but there wasn't a shinobi alive who want to go to war again. Naruto hung up his phone. He sighed in relief knowing that his girlfriend was alright. He put his phone back in his pocket and made his way towards Shikamaru who was waiting for him at the entrance of the treasury department.<p>

"I'm guessing you finally got an answer. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah Ino went over and Sakura-chan left her phone in her room. That's why she wasn't answering. I really started to get worried," said Naruto as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Awe being the worried father already," chuckled Shikamaru.

"Yeah tell me about it. These next nine months are going to be very interesting, especially if I get so worried over something stupid like Sakura-chan not answering her phone. God knows what I'll do when she goes into labor."

Shikamaru snickered at Naruto's comment and the two of them continued to make their way to their destination. They walked into a room that had two sets of tables set side by side. Each table had its own line. The line on the right was where you went to claim your money after a mission. The other line was where you went to pick up your missions. Naruto and Shikamaru got in line. The wait wasn't bad at all since there weren't that many people in line. The next thing Naruto knew Shikamaru was next. He walked towards the women behind the desk. He stated his name and ninja registration number. The young women looked through some note cards in a box she had in front of her. After a few seconds she pulled out a card. She had Shikamaru verify the details written on it, which were his name, registration number, and his team's purpose on that particular mission. Once he looked over the note card he signed his name and he returned it back to the young women. She took it back and placed it in a different box. Then she pulled out an envelope with the Konoha symbol on it and gave it to Shikamaru. He thanked her and took the envelope slipping it into his vest.

"I'll meet you outside Naruto."

"Alright, I'll be right there."

Naruto walked up to the table and gave the women all the information she needed from him. When he signed his form she pulled out his envelope and attached to it was a note. Naruto thanked her politely. He then opened the letter as he walked outside to meet Shikamaru.

"What's that?"

"It's a note from Baa-chan, she wants to see me."

"Oh well that makes perfect sense. She probably wants to talk to you about Sakura."

"I guess you're right. I better make my way over there then," said Naruto as he unzipped his jacket and slipped his envelope inside his side pocket.

"Well have fun Naruto," yawned Shikamaru. "I need to head over to the flower shop. Ino she wants me to get some stuff for tonight."

"Oh yeah, what's going on tonight?"

"Didn't Sakura tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Well that answers my question."

"…"

"Look Ino's having a get together at her place tonight. She wanted to have a party as soon as all of us were here in the village, and for once we are. She told me she was going to let Sakura know. I thought she'd tell you by now."

"This is the first time I hear anything about a party."

"Oh, well maybe she just forgot or something. So what, do you think you and Sakura can make it?"

"I don't see why not. I'm pretty sure Ino convinced Sakura-chan even if her first answer was a no. I'll give you a call later on today so we can touch base."

"Sounds good, oh and Ino is going to close the shop early maybe around 7pm okay."

"Alright then Shikamaru, I'll hit you up later."

The two friends went in opposite directions after the end of their conversation. Naruto headed towards the Hokage's office. He was rather excited about a party. He hadn't seen all his friends in a long time. Sometimes he was lucky and had some of his friends on his team for missions but that wasn't the same. Shikamaru was usually the only person he saw almost every day. He began to wonder if Sakura was looking forward to this event as well. He was sure this party is exactly what they both needed. Naruto continued walking down the busy hall. Suddenly he remembered he had just gotten paid. He reached into his jacket pocket so he could see how much he had earned on his mission now that he was alone. He opened the envelope and took a double take at the ryo inside; he was astonished at the amount. He counted the amount several times but no matter how many times he recounted the amount was the same. According to his calculations he had somehow earned triple the amount he was use too. Someone was have made a mistake. That was the only explanation he could think of. Before he could dwell on all the money in his hand he stopped walking. He was standing right outside the Hokage's office. Naruto put his money back in its envelope and then he placed it back in his jacket pocket. He softly knocked on the large door. He heard Tsunade's voice telling him to come in. Naruto stepped inside and walked towards her desk. Tsunade was busy looking over some documents.

"I was wondering when you'd be stopping by. I wanted to congratulate you on your mission. Kakashi really had good things to say about you. If I remember his words correctly he said that you're really growing up. He also said you were a great asset to the team. It would seem that your days of being an immature nuisance are over. Good job Naruto," said Tsunade.

"That really isn't much of a compliment Baa-chan."

"Well the important thing is that both Kakashi and I are pleased with how you've grown. We're both incredibly proud of you."

"Thanks Baa-chan."

"Now on another note I got a messenger hawk from the Kazekage. All the information your team helped gather is really going to help them out with their rouge shinobi problem. As allies we must always keep relations between our villages in good standing. Your mission to Suna was incredibly important for both villages."

"Is that why I was paid so much? I mean I've never earned this much even on S rank missions. There has to be some sort of mistake."

"No it isn't a mistake Naruto. Actually I fixed the mistake you could say."

"What's this all about?"

"Have you forgotten that you've been a genin for five years now Naruto?"

Naruto's expression changed as he thought about the one thing that kept him behind, his rank.

"How could I forget? I'm a laughing stock. I'm 17 and a genin, it's insulting really," muttered Naruto.

"I couldn't agree more. I've always tried to change that for you but the council has never let me. They said it was in the village's best interest to never let your rank go higher than genin. That to me was just plain bullshit! There wouldn't even be a village if it wasn't for you!" Yelled Tsunade.

She slammed her fist onto her desk making Naruto jump.

"You've saved the world for heaven's sake! You go on missions that you shouldn't since you're a genin but the council allows it because they know you'll get the job done. You complete the mission yet you get paid what a genin earns. You aren't getting paid what you should be. They've been using you. I had it out with Koharu and Homura from the council today. They tried to convince me that if your rank were to change it would be done in the next chuninn exams which are in two years. I wouldn't put you through that. It wouldn't be fair to you or the young genins you'd be fighting. I'm tired of all their red tape and regulations. I'm Hokage so I make the finally decision!"

Naruto stood still showing as much respect as he cloud while being quite. Tsunade was serious.

"So what are you saying Baa-chan?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"…."

"You might have grown up in some aspects, but, you'll always be a little dense Naruto."

"Hey Baa-chan I'm.."

"What I'm saying is that I changed your rank Naruto. You're a jonin now, congratulations," replied Tsunade.

Naruto shook his head from side to side. He wasn't sure if he had heard her.

"Did you just say I'm a jonin?"

"Yes I did."

"…"

"Now I want you to keep in mind that this does mean more pay but, you will have more responsibilities on your hands as well. From now on you can be appointed as captain on missions, but I'm confident you'll handle your new work load just fine," said Tsunade as she reached for another stack of paperwork.

"Thank you…"

Tsunade looked up from her mounds of files and documents. Naruto was still standing in front of her deck only now his head was hung low.

"You know Baa-chan you've always had faith in me. Even when we first met you saw something in me that no else did. Since then you've always believed I could do anything. Now after everything that's happened I've gotten the acknowledgement from the whole village, but you've always been the one who knew I was worth something before I ever did anything big. Just like Iruka sensei, the 3rd Hokage, and Ero-senin. Now you've given me the last piece I was missing, and that was my rank."

"Naruto…"

"This means the world to me Baa-chan. Thank you for everything."

Tsunade rose from her seat and made her way towards Naruto. She placed her hand under his chin and coaxed him to raise his head.

"Naruto I have faith in you because the passion you have for your dream is unwavering. That is makes you capable of anything. The word impossible isn't in your vocabulary, and I admire that," said Tsunade as she leaned in and kissed Naruto on his forehead just like she had years ago. She left an imprint of her lips on his forehead protector.

"Then do you think I'll be capable of being a good father Baa-chan?"

Tsunade was a taken aback. She was surprised that Sakura had told him the news so quickly. She smiled at Naruto and put her arms around him. She brought him close and held him in a loving embrace.

"Naruto you've done so much in your young life. You've risked everything time and time again and you've faced death countless times. What you've done thus far isn't easy and it's not a lifestyle for the faint of heart. Yet here you stand before me looking terrified. Why do you doubt yourself now?"

"I don't know what a father should be. I never met mine and I have no one to ask for advice. I don't want to fail my child, I really don't. I've always had teachers and mentors help me out when it came to training, but a baby isn't an enemy I have to fight, or a village I have to save, it's someone who's going to depend on me for everything. I feel lost Baa-chan. How can I be good parent when I never had mine?"

"You may not have your parents Naruto but you're surrounded by people who love you. Love is what makes a family, not just blood relationships. All of Konoha will help you with anything you may need. You, Sakura, and that baby are in good hands," said Tsunade.

"Thanks Baa-chan."

"Uzumaki Naruto you're a noble shinobi, a loyal friend, hero, and now a soon to be father. Be proud and confident just like you are with every other situation life throws at you. No matter what happens you'll find your way through it. I just know you will," said Tsunade as she winked at Naruto.

Suddenly there was a light tap on the door and Shizune made her way inside the office holding a large stack of papers. Naruto turned around to see her and noticed she wasn't really looking too well. She looked pale and sickly. She sneezed which caused her to drop some of the papers she was holding. She sluggishly bent down to pick them up. Before Naruto could move to help her Tsunade squeezed his arms and leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"I need to see Sakura soon Naruto. I need to make sure everything is on track with the baby. I won't tell Shizune, she worries too much and I don't want to listen to her nag and be sick all at once. Come see me tomorrow alright. Oh and don't get close to Shizune either we can't have Sakura sick," whispered Tsunade.

"I understand Baa-chan I'll bring her by tomorrow," replied Naruto as he quickly turned around and ran out of the office.

"Laters Shizune," said Naruto as he passed her by.

Shizune lifted her head to barely catch a glimpse of Naruto running out the door. She turned to Tsunade confused.

"Well someone's in a hurry isn't he."

"He sure is," chuckled Tsunade.

* * *

><p>Naruto ran through the village swiftly. He couldn't wait to get to Sakura's apartment. He dodged people gracefully as he ran the events that had happened since he got home through his mind. So much was happening. He had a baby on the way and he was just informed that he was now a jonin. Finally he wouldn't have to be embarrassed about his rank. He jumped up the side of a building and continued his route to Sakura's on the roof tops since it was really packed in the market place. Naruto continued running and soon he saw Sakura's building coming into view. He leaped from building to building until he was standing atop her apartment buildings roof. He looked over the edge and saw her window was still open. He jumped off the roof and landed on her balcony. He climbed into her room and closed the window behind him.<p>

"Don't you know how to use the front door Naruto?" Asked Sakura as she slipped on her last boot.

"Of course I do, but we're shinobi's we don't use doors, they're overrated," answered Naruto.

He walked up to Sakura and scooped her into his arms bridal style. She let out a slight scream as Naruto brought her close to him.

"Well it looks like someone came back in a good mood," said Sakura as she placed her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Naruto opened his mouth and welcomed her kiss with one of his own. Sakura moaned and she pushed herself closer towards her boyfriend. The two of them shared a long loving kiss until they were both forced to stop so they could catch their breath. Naruto smiled at Sakura as she loving stroked her fingers along his whiskered face.

"You know if you would have come sooner I wouldn't be dressed."

Naruto chuckled as Sakura's fingers tickled his face.

"Sorry I was talking to Baa-chan," whispered Naruto as kissed Sakura's neck.

His pink haired beauty tilted her head to the side exposing more of her neck for Naruto to kiss. He lightly nibbled at her soft flesh. His hunger for her was growing stronger, but now was not the time. He gave her one last kiss on her collar bone, before he took her here and now. He reluctantly placed Sakura back down on the floor and stood her in front of him.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?"

"Oh no Sakura-chan there's nothing wrong. Actually it's the complete opposite."

"What are you talking about?"

"Baa-chan promoted me to a jonin," said Naruto with a grin on his face.

Sakura gasped and placed her hand over her mouth muffling her yelp of excitement.

"Oh my god really?!"

"

Yeah, isn't that great?!"

Sakura didn't answer though instead she flung herself into Naruto and wrapped her arms around his neck. Naruto grabbed her waist and spun her around the room. He stopped and let her petite body brush up against his as her feet touched the ground. He brought her close and hugged her tightly.

"Oh Naruto I'm so proud of you!" Squealed Sakura. "I always knew you could do it, finally the rest of the council agrees."

"We'll the council had nothing to do with this. I owe everything to Baa-chan. She's the one that stood up for me and went over the council's prior decision," said Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama went over the council?"

"Yeah it looks like she's been trying for some time. She finally lost it and made the decision

without them."

"Shisho.."

"This is really going to help us out Sakura-chan. This couldn't have come at a better time! Now you won't have to worry so much about money. I'll be getting paid much more now, so I won't have any trouble supporting us. So what do you think, are you happy Sakura-chan?"

"Of course I am! I couldn't be happier Naruto."

Naruto pulled away from their embrace slightly so that he could see her face. He noticed her skin was vibrant and she look genuinely happy. Naruto was so glad to finally see Sakura smile. There were no signs of hidden sadness in that smile.

"So did anything else happen while you out today?"

"Not really. I just went and got my earnings and from there I went to Baa-chan's."

"But you were with Shikamaru weren't you?"

"Yeah why?"

"Did he tell you about tonight?"

"Oh yeah Ino's party."

"Yeah are you up for it Naruto?"

"Sure are you?"

"Oh yeah of course I want to go I just wanted to make sure that you were feeling up to it."

"You know I'm always up for a party," chuckled Naruto. "But are you feeling ok Sakura-chan? I mean you aren't feeling sick anymore are you?

"I'm feeling a lot better. Usually I get sick in the mornings so I think I'll be ok for the rest of the day. Besides a party really sounds like fun."

"Awesome, it's settled then! I'll let Shikamaru know that we'll be there," said Naruto as he reached for his phone. After sending his friend a text he grabbed Sakura's hand and led her towards the door.

"We've got some time to kill Sakura-chan, let's get going."

"Where are we going Naruto?"

"I'm taking you out to lunch. Is there any place special you want to go?"

"Awe Naruto that's so sweet of you."

"Hehe it's nothing Sakura-chan. So any requests?"

"I'm not sure let's walk around town. I'm sure I'll see something I might be craving."

Naruto opened the door and gestured Sakura to walk out first.

"Sure sounds fine to me. Ladies first Sakura-chan," said Naruto as he held his arm out in a polite manner, a smile broke on his lips. "See I know what a door is and how to use one."


	8. Chapter 8: Favors aren't so troublesome

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Shikamaru slowly made his way to Yamanaka flower shop to meet Ino. He didn't seem too enthusiastic, then again he was never known for his enthusiasm. He looked up at the sky and noticed there wasn't a cloud in sight.<p>

"Hmph what a pity, I'd much rather be relaxing on a rooftop looking at the sky then running errands for this woman of mine."

"Shikamaru wait up!"

Shikamaru turned around to see Chouji desperately trying to catch up to him. He stopped walking momentarily so he could wait for his friend.

"Thank god I caught you. I was afraid you were already at the flower shop. You know how mad Ino gets if we're late," said Chouji as he tried to catch his breath.

"We are late Chouji. I could have been at the shop fifteen minutes ago, but I knew you wouldn't be there so I stalled. Besides were doing Ino the favor so she'll just have to wait."

"Thanks Shikamaru I can always count on you. I swear you know what I'm going to do even before I do it."

"What can I say Chouji. It's just one of my many gifts. So then did you let everyone know about tonight like Ino wanted you too?"

"Yeah that's why I was running late. I found everyone but it took me a while to track down Team Guy. Everyone else was either at home or at their usual hangouts but not Guy's Team. They were out training. I had to search all their known training spots before I finally tracked

them down."

"Those guys are insane. I can't be training all the time. You need to relax and let lose every now and then. You know what I mean?" Said Shikamaru, Chouji nodded his head in agreement.

"Please tell me they're coming. If not Ino is going to have both our heads."

"Oh no they're coming. Tenten wasn't about to let Neji and Lee ruin a night of partying for her.

So we don't have to worry about Ino, then again we are late," said Chouji with a nervous look on his face.

They both came around a corner and across the street was the flower shop. Shikamaru led the way, and as they got closer he popped his neck side to side as if getting ready some sort of encounter.

"Well we're almost there Chouji. Just wait outside of the shop ok, I'll take care of Ino."

"Alright Shikamaru, I'll be out here waiting."

They got to the shop entrance of the shop and like Chouji was told he stayed outside while Shikamaru walked in. Ino was behind the front counter taking inventory when she noticed Shikamaru. He was walking slowly towards her and even from where he was he could feel her wrath slapping him across the face. She put her paperwork down and folded her arms while shaking her head in frustration.

"Why is it you can never be on time Shikamaru?! Is it honestly that hard? I mean you're so damn smart but you absolutely suck at being punctual!" Snapped Ino.

She walked towards Shikamaru while still ranting on his tardiness. She poked him roughly on the chest with her finger.

"You get me so mad sometimes you know that?!"

Chouji winced when he heard how made Ino was. He coward behind a large display of flowers that was placed near the shops entrance. He could hear Ino perfectly from his hiding place, but hadn't heard Shikamaru say a word. He decided to take a peek and as soon as he did he saw Ino look behind Shikamaru and make eye contact with him.

"Oh and don't think you're off the hook either Chouji! I can see you perfectly from over here! Shikamaru can't save you all the time you know th…"

Before Ino could finish her onslaught of verbal insults her mouth was cover and silenced by Shikamaru's mouth. He pulled her body towards his and place one hand on the small of her back while the other cupped her face. He had moved so fast Ino hadn't even noticed him pulling her towards him. She closed her eyes and her anger melted away as she savored the taste of her boyfriend's passionate kiss. She wasted no time in deepening the kiss. She slowly wrapped one of her legs around Shikamaru's hip and pushed herself up against his groin. He grunted at the sudden contact but that didn't stop him from continuing to kiss his hot tempered girlfriend. Finally after a few steamy minutes the two of them pulled apart from one another other gasping for air. Ino pushed her hair back and tried to keep her legs from shaking.

"So you were saying?" Asked Shikamaru.

Ino cleared her throat; she couldn't believe he had done. Shikamaru was usually so reserved and private. He wasn't one for being so physical in public. She looked up at her boyfriend. He wore a trumpet smirk on his face. Ino felt a little annoyed, he had gotten the best of her, but she just couldn't help but blush when he looked at her like that.

"Alright Shikamaru it looks like you got yourself out of this one, but next time you won't be so lucky."

Ino turned around and walked towards the front desk. Shikamaru looked behind him and tilted his head at Chouji. His friend wasted no time and he quickly left the sanctuary of his hiding place. Together they followed Ino to the front desk. Ino went to the back room and returned quickly with a small wad of what looked like money wrapped in a piece of paper.

"Here's the money and a list with everything I want you both to get for tonight. Chouji don't let this one right here wander off. I know how how he is," said Ino as she looked at her boyfriend.

"And Shikamaru watch Chouji. I don't want him eating what you put in the cart."

"Hey that happened when you made us go out shopping right after we trained and I was really hungry Ino!" Protested Chouji.

"I don't care! I swear the two of you are unbelievable."

"God Ino relax," yawned Shikamaru.

"I will not relax! I just want you guys to prove to me that I can trust you with a simple task."

"You worry too much. You don't want to get wrinkles right away do you?" Asked Shikamaru.

Ino's right eye twitched slightly.

"You're ridiculous I don't worry too much!" Snapped Ino as she pouted her bottom lip. "I just feel like I'm constantly babysitting you both! Now please go get everything and once you're done drop everything off at my place." She reached into her knapsack and pulled out a set of keys. "Now here are the keys to my place. Just leave everything in the kitchen alright. Lock up and come pick me up at six Shikamaru."

"Six, aren't you pushing it a little? I thought you were going to close at seven? You don't want the regulars of the shop letting your parents know you closed so early."

"I've already taken care of that minor dilemma."

"Oh, and how did you do that?"

"I just told what regulars I saw today that I had important business with Sakura and Tsunade-sama. Technically I will be with at least one of them so I'm just stretching the truth," said Ino with a victorious smile on her face.

"Hmph seems like you very confident in your little charade. Are you sure it's going to work though?"

"Of course it is Shikamaru."

"Whatever you say Ino," said Shikamaru as he took the money and list and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Come on let's get this over with Chouji."

"Alright Shikamaru. Well do our best Ino watch and see," said Chouji as he followed Shikamaru out of the shop.

Ino couldn't help but smile. It was true that these guys usually gave her a headache but she loved them regardless. She continued to watch them until her two teammates turned around the corner towards the market place.

"I swear those two really are something else," giggled Ino.

Chouji let out a sigh of relief once they had turned the corner.

"Wow thank god you're dating Ino. I don't think we would have been able to get away from her wrath if you hadn't of kissed her Shikamaru."

"I would of thought of several other ways to get out of that situation even if we weren't dating. That would have been rather troublesome, but still possible. Either way I'll always be able to get us out of trouble unscathed. The trick is to let her think she has me wrapped around her little finger. Ino is sweet, thoughtful, and gorgeous. I love her to death, but she always forgets that I'm much smarter than her," chuckled Shikamaru.

* * *

><p>Sakura nibbled away on her freshly steamed dumplings. They were simply delicious and the young kunoichi was enjoying every bite. She continued to stuff her mouth when she felt Naruto's eyes on her. She paused for a moment as she looked back at him. All Naruto was doing was sipping his drink as he admired Sakura's enthusiasm with her food.<p>

"What?" Asked Sakura with her mouth full.

"Oh Nothing," chuckled Naruto. "I've just never seen you eat like this before. Usually I'm the one that gets so involved with my food that it's a miracle I even remember to breathe."

Sakura blushed, he was right, she hadn't said a word since they sat down to eat. She swallowed what she had her mouth and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"I haven't had a good meal like this in days it seems. I've been so nervous about telling you about the baby. Plus all the nausea I've been having hasn't been helping."

"Well don't let me stop you Sakura-chan eat as much as you want."

Sakura smiled and continued to eat away under Naruto's watchful eye. The two love birds were sitting outside their favorite dumpling restaurant. They had decided to sit outdoors on the patio since it was such a lovely day. They were sheltered by the sun by a large umbrella over their table. Naruto plopped a dumpling in his mouth as he looked around the village. The market place was bustling with people. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of Shikamaru and Chouji in the crowd of people. Naruto stretched his arm out and flagged them down. Shikamaru noticed his waving first. He gently patted Chouji on the shoulder and motioned him towards Naruto and Sakura.

"Yo Naruto, Sakura," said Shikamaru as he leaned on the rail surrounding the patio.

Chouji smiled and waved. Sakura's mouth was full and she smiled while covering her mouth. She waved her hand trying to chew her food as quickly as possible.

"Hey guys so what are you both up to right now?" Asked Naruto.

"Ino has us shopping for supplies for tonight. It's really troublesome but it needs to be done," muttered Shikamaru.

"Yeah but we'll have the rest of the day to relax so don't worry Shikamaru. Besides parties are fun."

"Yeah for the most part they are, but first you need to get everything you need and then the clean up afterwards isnt exactly pleasant."

"Oh come one Shikamaru stop being a stick in the mud," protested Chouji.

"Yeah Shikamaru don't be so troublesome," teased Naruto.

"You just have to put your two cents in don't you Naruto," sighed Shikamaru.

Sakura couldn't help but giggle as Naruto and Shikamaru started playfully arguing. Chouji laughed as well but the smell from the restaurant was much more interesting than participating in the conversation that was going on next to him. He looked down and saw Sakura's plate; he couldn't help but drool when he saw the delicious dumplings.

"Sakura that looks delicious, but you ordered the number four special all for yourself? That's a really big portion, and you're almost done with it too, how'd you manage that?" Asked Chouji.

"Oh well I I just forgot to eat breakfast today so I'm extra hungry. Plus Naruto's been helping me out so I'm not the only one responsible for the damage," said Sakura nervously.

Naruto stopped teasing Shikamaru when he heard Sakura's nervous response. He gave Shikamaru a nervous look. Shikamaru winked and stretched out his arms high above his head.

"Alright Chouji we better hurry up and get this done. I'm still tired and I want to take a nap before this party starts."

"Alright Shikamaru, but do you think maybe we can come back here to eat after were done shopping?"

"Whatever," said Shikamaru lazily.

"Awesome! Well I guess we'll be seeing you guys at the party tonight then," said Chouji.

Everyone said their goodbyes and soon both Chouji and Shikamaru left so they could continue their mission for groceries. Sakura and Naruto sat in silence as they watched their friends leave. Sakura took a sip from her drink and cleared her throat.

"I was a little worried that Chouji noticed my appetite," whispered Sakura.

"I was at first too, but Shikamaru wouldn't tell anyone, especially after I asked him not too," said Naruto as he continued to eat what was left of his meal. "The only people that know are Shikamaru, Ino, and Baa-chan. Oh which reminds me we need to go see her tomorrow. She wants to make sure you and the baby are alright."

Sakura was about to agree when something dawned on her. Her mood seemed to drastically change.

"There's still someone else that doesn't know Naruto that we need to tell," said Sakura.

Naruto almost choked on his food. He began roughly hitting his chest to help it go down. He let out a gasp for air and shook his head making sure he had heard Sakura right.

"Who else would needs to know Saku…"

He froze in mid-sentence and gave Sakura a nervous look. He could tell by the way she looked at him that his assumption was correct. Naruto rubbed his temples and closed his eyes; this wasn't good.

"Please don't tell me it's who I think it is Sakura-chan."

"I'm sorry Naruto but the only people I told before you found out were Ino and then Tsunade-sama."

"I would of thought you would of told your mother first Sakura-chan!" Snapped Naruto.

Sakura cringed from the sound of Naruto's voice. She didn't blame him for his sudden outburst, but this wasn't the place to be doing it.

"Shhh don't be so loud we don't want people eavesdropping on us do you," whispered Sakura sternly at Naruto. "I'm sorry I didn't tell her, but honestly she's the last person I wanted to talk to. I figure we'd tell her together."

"But Sakura-chan you do realize that she's going to blow a fuse right? She can't stand me, and now you want me to be there when you tell her that you're pregnant? She's going to flip when she finds out."

"Naruto I don't think she'll be that bad."

"Really Sakura-chan? You honestly think she'll take the news that the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki knocked her daughter up with a smile on her face?"

"Well not if you say it like that," replied Sakura as she stuffed another dumpling into her mouth.

"Look Sakura-chan your mother didn't even like the thought of us holding hands, and a baby is the product of something way more advanced than holding hands," said Naruto. "She's going to lose it when she learns I deflowered you. You know that she sees me as a freak."

"..."

"I mean remember how she kept giving you such a hard time when we first started dating? She looked at me like I was an abomination to mankind Sakura-chan. In her eyes I've always been a monster. She probably thinks I'm going to eat you or something," muttered Naruto.

Sakura sighed in defeat, as much as she wanted to fight for her mother she knew deep down that Naruto was right. Her mother, Hanako,was never a fan of Sakura's decision to date Naruto. Once their relationship had gotten serious her ties with her mother became strained. It got so bad that Sakura couldn't take her mother's negativity towards Naruto any longer, so she moved out. She hated how her mother was never impressed with Naruto. His heroism, kindness, compassion, and even his undying love for her daughter didn't make her see who Naruto really was. Hanako still hated him and Sakura knew that this news could quite possibly destroy her relationship with her mother altogether.

"I'm sorry Naruto, you know I don't have a very stable relationship with my mom right now. However if I keep this from her I know it would shatter what relationship we do have."

"I understand Sakura-chan, but what are you going to do if she goes ballistic on us?"Asked Naruto as he played with his chopsticks.

"I could careless Naruto, if she doesn't accept our relationship that's fine with me, but she can't deny her own grandchild."

"I guess you're right. That would be really cold of her. I know your mom can be scary but I've never seen her as being heartless."

"She's not, I just don't understand how relationship became so strained. I just wish she could see the man I see when I look at you," said Sakura as she rubbed Naruto's hand affectionately.

"Thanks Sakura-chan."

"All that matter is that we inform my mom about the pregnancy. Everything that happens afterwards is up to her. She's the only one who can decided if she's going to be a part of our new family.

"So when do you want to tell her?"

"We might as well tell her tomorrow after we see Tsunade-sama. This way we can have ultrasound pictures of the baby and any news Tsunade-sama shares with us."

"We're going to see the baby tomorrow?" Asked Naruto nervously.

"Of course, what did you think was going to happen tomorrow?"

"Honestly I had no idea what was going to happen, but I didn't think we'd get to see the baby."

"Well we'll also l get to hear the baby's heartbeat too. That's just one of the many things that will happen at my appointment tomorrow. will know if the baby is developing properly. Don't be nervous ok, I'll be fine and so will the baby."

"Alright Sakura-chan whatever you say," said Naruto.

Sakura squeezed Naruto's hand. She could tell he was nervous so she smiled at him tell make him feel more at ease. After a few moments Naruto grinned back at Sakura. As soon as she saw his classic goofy grin she knew he felt better.

* * *

><p>Sakura held Naruto's hand as they walked along a busy street. Lunch had been delicious and she still felt nausea free. The two hadn't decided on what to do next to kill time so they just decided to walk around town. The streets were packed; everyone was out running errands or mingling with friends. They approach the village's library and Sakura pointed towards the stairs. Naruto looked to see Sai sitting down reading a book. Sakura pulled Naruto along as she made her way towards their teammate. They had all become so much closer as a team after everything that happened during the 4th shinobi war. Naruto really owed Sai a great deal since he did protect Sakura when Naruto was training with Fukasaku and Killer Bee. Even so Naruto knew he'd always get into awkward situations whenever Sai was involved.<p>

"Hello Sai, what are you reading if you don't mind me asking?" Asked Sakura.

Sai looked up at his teammates; a small polite smile spread across his pale face.

"I was told today that we were all invited to a party. I've never been to a party before so I decided to get a book on parties and party etiquette," replied Sai.

"Oh that's sounds really nice Sai. If you have any questions you know you can ask us," said Sakura as she jabbed Naruto hard in the ribs to get him to agree with her.

"Ouch…I mean yeah Sai we can help you out," said Naruto.

He did his best to give Sai a convincing smile, even though he was slowly suffering from the harsh jab Sakura had given his side. It was a miracle she hadn't done any real damage to him after all these years, but it still hurt like hell.

"Don't try so hard the whole purpose of a party is to have fun. You do know what fun is right?" Asked Naruto.

"

Yes I do, fun is a source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure one can share with family or close companions."

"Uh yeah, but here's the point Sai parties don't require you to follow certain steps. Just go relax and have a good time. If you try too hard then you won't have any real fun at all."

"I think I understand Naruto-kun thanks so much for explaining it to me."

"Well if you'll both excuse me I have a few things to do before we all get together, said Sai as he waved goodbye.

"It's a miracle he doesn't need a book to tell him how to breathe," said Naruto as he watched his pale teammate leave.

Sakura swiftly smacked him across the back of the head.

"Ouch Sakura-chan. What in the world was that for?" Asked Naruto as he rubbed the back of his head sulking.

"You need to learn to have more patience with Sai Naruto. Honestly I think it's cute how he makes an effort to learn these things."

"I'm sorry but I'll never forgive him for all those awkward situations he's gotten me in."

"What in the world are you talking Naruto?"

"Don't tell me you don't have a clue as to what I'm referring too."

"..."

"Really Sakura-chan?"

"I'm sorry," giggled Sakura. "I honestly dont know what you're talking about.

"How can you forget all the times he called me dickless. Every time we were together he'd bring up the size of my dick, and that was embarrassing since he always did it when you were there."

"Aww poor baby," giggled Sakura."If it makes you feel any better I think you're rather endowed in that department Naruto," cooed Sakura as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's torso and rubbed her head along his chest.

Naruto's face reddened as Sakura purred into his chest. She got on her tippy toes and planted a soft kiss on his lips. He slowly kissed her back and held her close to his body. The two continued to kiss under the sun on a lovely summer day in Konoha.

* * *

><p>The sky above Konoha was bathed in twilight as Shikamaru made his way inside the flower shop. He saw a small sign outside that said open. He flipped it over to say closed and continued to make his way inside. He noticed that half of the lights were already off in the shop.<p>

"Looks like she started closing," said Shikamaru.

He made his way towards the back room silently. Upon entering he found Ino counting down her register. She looked up at Shikamaru and smiled at him.

"Hey Shikamaru, did everything go okay with the shopping?"

"It went alright, Chouji and I got everything you wanted and it's at your place in the fridge just like you instructed."

With that said Shikamaru took a seat on a chair right by where Ino was sitting. He leaned his body out and stretched. He yawned and closed his eyes; he used his hands on the back of his head for support.

"Awe Shikamaru thanks. I know I gave you guys a hard time earlier today. I just get so stressed especially if I'm hosting a party," said Ino as she continued to count down the earnings for the day.

"No it's alright. I know Chouji and I can be difficult so how about we just call us even."

"Alright then," giggled Ino. "So what did you do afterwards, you look tired."

"Hmph Chouji wanted to eat after we were done shopping so we had a late lunch," yawned Shikamaru.

"Awe you didn't get your cat nap for the day did you?" Cooed Ino as she leaned over Shikamaru's shoulders.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her head against Shikamaru's. She ran her arms done his chest and kissed the side of his neck. Shikamaru stiffened as Ino continued to kiss and nibble his neck. She stopped when she felt him grow rigid. She smiled wickedly at his reaction. Ino pulled away from her boyfriend and instead she walked around the chair he was sitting on. She knelt down on her knees and ran her arms along the length of his legs. She found the zipper to his pants and she slowly unzipped them. Shikamaru's eyes shot open and he reached down to stopped Ino from fully unzipping his pants.

"Ino what the hell? We can't do this in the shop."

"Why not?"

"Well for starters the store is still opened. Anyone could walk in here you know."

"I thought you told me worrying too much was bad for," purred Ino.

She pushed Shikamaru's hands away but instead of focusing on his pants she straddled him. She slowly began to rock her hips against his crotch.

"Ino…"

"Awe Shikamaru you did me a favor, why won't you let me return it hmm?"

"But Ino you can't expect me to.."

Ino quickly muffled his comment with her mouth. At first Shikamaru protested but after a few more convincing kisses he loosened up a little. Ino broke the kiss and leaned in closer towards Shikamaru's ear.

"I'm not wearing any panties Shikamaru," purred Ino as she continued to grind herself on his crotch.

Shikamaru blushed profusely. He gulped nervously as he watched Ino unbutton her shirt.

Her large breast bounced out of their fabric prison. She pulled Shikamaru's face in between her soft supple breasts.

"Oops it looks like I wasn't wearing a bra either."

"Really Ino," sighed Shikamaru.

"Awe come on Shikamaru. Doesn't this just turn you on a little?"

"..."

"Just think about it. You can take me here and now. The thrill of someone walking in is what's supposed to make it fun."

"You could have just waited for us to get to your place you know."

"Oh no I've had this planned out from the very beginning. Now you're going to make love to me Shikamaru and dammit you're going to love it!"

Ino carefully removed herself from Shikamaru's lap.

"So now you've resorted to threatening me?"

"Oh just shut it and wait here Shikamaru."

"Like I'm going anywhere," muttered Shikamaru as he looked at the tent in his pants.

Ino walked over to the desk where her purse was. She opened it and began searching the contents. Shikamaru nervously waited in his chair staring up at the ceiling; his crotch was throbbing.

"I can't believe she's talked me into this. What the hell am I doing? Whispered Shikamaru.

Just then he saw Ino coming back towards him. She didn't say a word to him. Her silence worried Shikamaru. He watched silently as stood in front of him. She placed both her hands on his knees and she leaned in towards him. All Shikamaru could focus on where her large breasts.

"Now you listen to me Nara Shikamaru, this is happening whether you want it too or not," cooed Ino.

She bent down on her knees and made herself comfortable. Then she reached inside Shikamaru's opened pants and pulled out his member. Without any hesitation she placed it in her mouth. Shikamaru sat up straight he gripped the arms of the chair. He looked down at Ino; he couldn't believe she was going down on him in the back office of her parents flower shop. If anyone ever found out about this he would die from embarrassment, but the more Ino continued the more he didn't care. Shikamaru finally relaxed and lost himself in a world of pleasure. Suddenly Ino shoved her mouth down to the base of his cock. Shikamaru let out a groan, his legs quivered as Ino continued blowing him.

She hummed when he grazed that back of her throat; he felt the vibrations engulf him.

Shikamaru's jaw tighten; he clenched his teeth in an attempt to keep quiet. He looked down at Ino; her beautiful face slightly flushed. She felt his gaze on her and she made eye contact with him. She continued to go down on him while keeping her gaze locked on Shikamaru the whole time. Finally she reached the top of his dick and she placed a small kiss on his head. She then flicked something towards Shikamaru. He was caught off guard but he managed to catch what she threw at him; it was a condom. Ino stood up making her breasts jiggle as she moved. She walked over to the desk she had been working at. She leaned her body over it and swiveled her hips towards Shikamaru.

"I'm all yours Shikamaru. Come and get me."

Shikamaru nervously fumbled with the condom. He couldn't keep his mind on the task at hand. All he was looking at was Ino swaying her hips waiting for him to take her. Shikamaru managed to remove the condom from its wrapper and he slipped it on. He stood up and grabbed Ino by the hips; he gulped nervously looking at her bent over the table. He lifted up her skirt to see that she had spoken the truth she wasn't wearing any panties.

"Shika baby please hurry up, I want you now," whined Ino.

Shikamaru slipped himself inside his begging girlfriend slowly. He cupped her dangling breasts in his hands as he slowly pumped himself in and out of her.

"Ahhh Shikamaru fuck me, fuck me now!" Screamed Ino.

Shikamaru knew people could probably hear Ino loud and clear. The close sign was displayed outside but the shop itself was still open so people could still walk in. Shikamaru began to pick up his pace. He let go of Ino breasts and placed his hands firmly on her hips.

"Yes Shika, harder harder!"

Ino pushed herself back towards Shikamaru. She felt him go deeper into her with each of his thrusts. Shikamaru groaned deeply as he roughly shoved himself into his pretty blonde. The force he was putting into each of his thrusts was pushing the desk back and forth. Pencils and papers began to roll off and onto the floor. Ino couldn't take Shikamaru's strength on top of her any longer so she rested her chest on top of the cool desk. She felt herself reaching her climax and she screamed in ecstasy as her juices began to spill all over the place.

Shikamaru felt Ino burst; her juices were everywhere. He plowed into her even harder; he felt himself getting ready to hit his peak as well. At that very moment Shikamaru didn't care if the people outside could hear them, nor did he care if anyone walked in. All that mattered at that moment was him pleasing his gorgeous girlfriend. Shikamaru finally came and he gave Ino one last thrust for good measure. He panted heavily over her body. Ino felt Shikamaru go limp and slip out of her; she felt her legs begin to shake. She would have slipped off the table had it not been for Shikamaru's weight on her back.

"I hope you're happy," panted Shikamaru.

"That was amazing Shikamaru," replied Ino.

Suddenly a strange noise caught both of their attention. Shikamaru quickly lifted himself off Ino and began to clean himself up as best he could. Ino hopped off the table covering her breast as she scrambled towards the door. She peeked into the shop as her hands desperately buttoned her top back up. She felt Shikamaru come up behind her; he slowly pulled her behind him. He looked into the shop but he couldn't see the source of the sound they had both heard.

"Pick up as best you can. I'm gonna check things out," whispered Shikamaru.

Ino nodded her head and began picking up the mess on the floor. Shikamaru walked into the store and looked around slowly.

"I'm sorry but we're closed for the night. We'll be open tomorrow at 8:00am. I'm sorry for any inconvenience we might have caused with the shop closing early today but we have important business to take care of," said Shikamaru.

He cautiously walked through the small isles in the store. Everything seemed to be normal but Shikamaru couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. Suddenly he heard some pots fall to the ground. He turned around quickly with a kunai clenched in his hand. A small black cat scurried from behind the register. It passed Shikamaru and disappeared down an alley outside.

"What in the world was that?!" Screamed Ino from the back room.

"It's alright it was just a cat."

"A cat?" Asked Ino as she peeked her head from the doorway of the back room.

"Yeah, look just finish up back there. I'll finish closing the shop," said Shikamaru as he put his kunai away.

He walked over to light switch and turn off the rest of the lights in the store. He then walked to the front of the shop and began pulling large flower displays back into the store. He was about to bring in the last display when he heard some faint giggling. He looked up to see a group of young girls, maybe around his age, whispering and pointing at him.

"Great I knew people was going to hear Ino. Why does she have to be so loud?" Muttered Shikamaru.

He did his best to ignore the group of girls who were clearly talking about. Instead he tried to focused on closing down the shop. However the group of teens weren't far from him so he was able to hear their entire conversation.

"That's Nara Shikamaru," one girl whispered.

"I know, he's such a looker."

"Can you believe the noise that was coming from inside the shop?"

"I know, Yamanaka Ino is so lucky."

"Tell me about it. I wish I had a man who could make me scream like that," giggled one the girls.

Shikamaru leaned up against the the shops main window while he waited for Ino. His heart was still racing from their heated encounter and his legs were a little wobbly. He decided to have a smoke while he waited. Shikamaru wasn't a chain smoker like Asuma was but having one now and then more his style. All the girls giggled as they swooned over Shikamaru smoking. He was embarrassed to say the least, but he couldn't take back what had just happened, nor did he want to. He would never admit it to Ino but he really did enjoy the thrill of having sex in the shop. A few minutes passed and Shikamaru threw his cigarette on the floor. He crushed with his foot to make sure it was completely extinguished. The teenage girls were now daring each other to talk to Shikamaru. He was really dreading that but luckily their chattering stopped once Ino came outside.

"All right all I need to do is lock up."

Ino pulled both glass doors shut and locked them up tight. She spun around and latched herself to Shikamaru's arm. She rubbed herself on his shoulder and sighed.

"Thanks for giving in to my guilty little pleasure Shikamaru. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did," cooed Ino. "I love you."

Shikamaru looked down at her and then at the group of girls watching them. He found the whole situation rather troublesome, but he smirked at his personal fan club. He leaned down towards Ino and kissed her. Tiny giggles and gasps could be heard from their audience.

"I love you too Ino. Now come on let's get going. We have a party to set up."

"We sure do. It's going to be a blast!" Yelled Ino.

She heard the girls light whispering and before she and Shikamaru left she turned towards them. The girls froze when they noticed Ino staring at them.

"Sorry girls but this shinobi is all mine!"

The group of teens were surprised that Ino had acknowledged them. They nervously tried to look casual; obviously they were familiar with Ino and her temper. Luckily for them Ino was in such a good mood she didn't care if they were checking her boyfriend out. Shikamaru walked leading the way with Ino holding him close.


	9. Chapter 9: Party etiquette

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>The night was quiet and calm in Konoha. The nice summer day had now become an equally beautiful night. Sakura looked outside Naruto's window admiring the weather. The view from his apartment was beautiful. She sat back down on Naruto's bed. She looked around his room, she was quite impressed. It was nice to see that he had taken the time to clean up his apartment. Just then a shirtless Naruto walked into his room with a load of clean laundry. He placed it on the floor in front of the bed and then he sat down next to Sakura.<p>

"Naruto, can I ask you something?" Asked Sakura as she schooched herself closer towards him.

"Sure," said Naruto as he looked through his clean clothes.

"Do you think it's wrong for us to hide my pregnancy from our friends?"

"No I don't think it's wrong. I mean we're going to tell them after we tell your mom, right?"

"Yeah, but now I'm feeling guilty."

"Why?"

"That's just the thing, I don't know why."

"Oh, well, maybe we shouldn't go tonight. We can always stay here and tomorrow we'll tell your mom and our friends can hear the great news after that," replied Naruto as he pulled a clean t-shirt over his head.

"No I want to go."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I think my hormones are getting the best of me. I'm sure I'll do alright as soon as we get to the party. Besides we already told Shikamaru and Ino that we'd be there. Plus we got gifts so were going," said Sakura as she rose from Naruto's bed.

"I'm sure we'll have a great time. Right Naruto?"

"Right Sakura-chan."

"Well I guess we should get going then."

"Alright Sakura-chan let me just let me finish getting dressed."

"Sure I'll go ahead and get the gifts.

Sakura went into the kitchen where their gifts for Ino were. She and Naruto had decided to get her something since she was the one hosting the party. She grabbed the brown paper bag and then she walked into the living room.

"You ready Naruto?"

"Yeah I was just getting my keys," said Naruto as he zipped up his jacket.

He opened the front door for Sakura and they both made their way outside. They were getting ready to go down the stairs when they noticed someone waiting at the bottom, it was Sai.

He looked up at both of his team mates. He gave them both a smile as they walked down the steps.

"Hello you two. I was about to make my way up the stairs when I saw you were already making your way down here."

"Oh so you just got here?" Asked Naruto.

"Yes, even though Ino said the party was going to be at 7:00pm I read that it's better to be fashionably late. I can tell that this is true since you two haven't made your way there yet."

Naruto's right eye twitched, Sakura saw this and giggled.

"You're right Sai. It's always best to be fashionably late."

"I can't wait to try out other things I learned in my party etiquette book," said Sai.

"Yeah I'm sure you'll get to use you wide array of party tactics when we get there Sai," chuckled Naruto.

"Alright then you two let's get going then," giggled Sakura.

All three of them set off to what they hoped would be a delightful night.

The walk to Ino house wasn't too far from Naruto's apartment. It was actually a few buildings away. Sakura held Naruto's hand tightly as they walked the streets of Konoha together. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She flipped it open to see the time; it was 7:30pm. She hadn't heard from Ino but she figured she was just busy with getting everything ready.

"I wonder if everyone is already there?" Asked Sakura.

"I doubt it it's only 7:30 Sakura-chan, don't sweat it," said Naruto in a reassuring voice.

"Yes Sakura-san Naruto-kun is right. Remember we're being fashionably late," said Sai politely.

Naruto rolled his eyes at Sai's comment. Suddenly Sakura's phone rang while still in her hand. She flipped it open and answered it.

"Hello? Oh hey Ino. Yeah we're actually almost there. Alright then see you soon."

Sakura hung up her phone and put it back safely in her pocket.

"What was all that about?" Asked Naruto.

"Oh it was just Ino telling me that she and Shikamaru were running late so they're the only ones there right now."

See and you were worried Sakura-chan."

Naruto brought her closer and together they continued to walk to Ino's

* * *

><p>Team Kakashi approached Ino's house. The outside of her home was decorated with colorful paper lanterns. Music and chattering could be heard from inside. Naruto knocked on the front door and after a few moments he could hear footsteps getting closer. The front door opened and Ino smiled when she saw who was standing in front of her.<p>

"Hey you three come in please," said Ino as she led her comrades inside.

Sai approached Ino and gave her a scroll wrapped up in some ribbon.

"Ino-san I painted something for you to show my appreciation for you inviting me to this party," said Sai as he gave Ino her gift.

Ino took the scroll and smiled.

"Awe why thank you Sai."

She carefully removed the ribbon and began to open the scroll. Naruto jumped up at the sight of the scroll and pointed his finger at Ino.

"Watch out Ino the last thing he painted for me destroyed my apartment!"

"Does this look like it's going to come to life and destroy my house Naruto?" Asked Ino.

She showed him what was painted on the scroll. It was a beautiful vase filled with lilacs. Naruto's mouth dropped open and he turned to look at Sai.

"You go and paint Ino some pretty flowers but you paint me a Chinese dog that came to life on my bathroom wall! It destroyed my apartment! It trampled all over my place wrecking everything!" Yelled Naruto.

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun but like I told you before I accidentally painted your gift with the brushes I use for my painting justus. That's why your painting came to life when you opened it."

"Yeah whatever Sai."

Sakura nudged Naruto to give Ino their gifts. Naruto stopped his sulking and handed Ino her presents.

"Here Ino this is from Sakura-chan and I. My gift is some Ero-senin bought for me when I was done with all my training with him. It's Namazake sake so it's pretty good, just make sure to put it in the fridge," said Naruto.

"Wow Namazake huh. I've actually never tried it so this should be fun," said Ino.

She then pulled out a small box that was inside the bag with the sake.

"Oh those are from me Ino," said Sakura.

Ino opened the box to find two silver hair clips with flowers on them.

"I remember you to me you lost your favorite hair clips a few weeks ago on a mission, so I decided to get you some new ones."

"Oh they're beautiful Sakura. Thank you so much for the gifts you guys. I'm beyond thrilled you were all able to make it. Now come on in and make yourselves at home. I'll be in the kitchen if you guys need anything."

Ino dashed back into her house holding her gifts as she headed for her kitchen. Naruto sat on the floor and began to take off his shoes; he placed them neatly on the floor and helped Sakura with her boots. Sai's shoes were already off but he was busy searching his party etiquette book. All three of them made their way deeper into Ino house. Sakura saw Ino barking orders at Shikamaru. He was grilling some meat on the stove, and Ino was there telling him what he was doing wrong.

"Shikamaru you need to hurry up and flip those! No not those you moron, " sighed Ino.

"My god Ino is such a control freak," whispered Sakura.

"It sure does look that way doesn't," chuckled Naruto.

The smell that filled the room was amazing; Sakura heard her stomach growl. Naruto turned towards her and laughed.

"You a little hungry there?"

Sakura blushed and looked at Naruto.

"Was it really that loud?! I didn't think anyone else had heard that."

Ino turned around and saw Sakura talking to Naruto.

"Hey Sakura please come over here and trade places with this man."

"I thought you'd never ask," said Shikamaru as he walked towards Naruto and Sai. "Besides isn't cooking a woman's thing?"

Ino threw a wash cloth at Shikamaru in frustration.

"Oh my god just go already!"

"I love you too Ino," said Shikamaru lazily.

He led Naruto and Sai into the living room where Chouji was waiting.

"Finally," sighed Ino. "He was doing an alright job but I just wanted it to be us before everyone else gets here. Please Sakura pull up a chair, you hungry?"

"Yeah actually I am," said Sakura

"That's all you have to say," said Ino.

She got a plate and served Sakura some grilled meat and rice. She poured a reddish colored drink in a glass and gave it to Sakura.

"That right there is my first ever virgin strawberry daiquiri. I figure you need to look like you're drinking something. You and I are known for really downing the drinks at parties. You gotta look the part don't you think?"

"Good thinking Ino. I'll admit I forgot about there being alcohol here. If anything I can always say that I'm not feeling well," said Sakura as she began to eat her food.

"Yeah I guess you can do that too. Oh and in the living room with the guys are more finger foods and drinks just so you know," said Ino.

Sakura nodded her head and continued to eat. She silently watched Ino cook the rest of the meat. Once she was done Ino excused herself from Sakura for a moment so she could take the plate of meat and other goodies to the living room. Sakura could hear Ino warning Chouji not go overboard on the eating. Ino walked back into the kitchen with a couple of sake cups in her hand.

"My parents always drink their sake in the living room so we store the cups in there too," said Ino as she walked towards Naruto's gift. She poured herself a cup and put the bottle in the fridge like Naruto had told her too. Sakura could already tell by Ino's movements that she already had a few drinks under her belt.

"So why were you guys running late," asked Sakura.

"Oh well remember when I told you I'd get Shikamaru to do something crazy with me?"

"Yeah."

"Well I did, and that's why we were running a little late."

"Oh my god Ino what did you do?"

"Oh nothing," giggled Ino.

"Would you stop with the suspense and just tell me."

"Well I finally got Shikamaru to loosen up a little."

"Yeah?"

"I got him to have sex with me in the back office of the flower shop."

Sakura's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"Ino are you serious!?"

"Yup, he put up a big fight in the beginning but towards the end he had no regrets."

"You are just awful," giggled Sakura.

"I know," laughed Ino. "So then enough of about me, lets talk about you. From where I'm standing you look a whole lot better since we talked earlier today, did you have another chat with Naruto?"

"Yeah we did."

"And?"

"Well we didn't have time to really discuss some of the things I wanted to go over, like our living situation, but that's because he came home with amazing news."

"Do tell."

"He's been promoted to jonin! Tsunade-sama told him today and he even got paid what a jonin would earn on his last mission. I was beyond relieved when he told me. I was so scared about money but now because of this things look a little bit brighter."

"Well that's great news Sakura! Naruto really deserves it. I mean he's worked so hard and now he's finally been has rewarded," said Ino.

"Yeah he's really thrilled."

"Well that's good to hear. I'm really happy that you don't have to stress about supporting yourself and the ba.."

Before Ino could continue a knock at the front door interrupted their conversation. She got up to answer the door and after much chatter and laughing she walked back into the kitchen with Team Kurenai and Guy. Everyone was finally there and Sakura got her wits about her. The guys came out from the living room and everyone mingled in the kitchen for a few minutes. Hugs, hellos, and longtime no sees, were exchanged among the young shinobi. Finally after everyone had greeted one another they settled down to eat, drink, and talk about what was going on in their lives. After a few minutes of small talk Ino rose from her seat next to Shikamaru and stood before all her friends.

"I want to say a few words everyone. For starters I want to say that I'm so glad that everyone has come home safe from all their missions. It's been forever since we've all been together, and I just wanted to thank everyone for coming. Also I just learned some interesting news that I thought I'd share with you all. As of today Uzumaki Naruto is no longer a genin but now a jonin!"

Naruto was beyond surprised to hear Ino say that. He gave Sakura a quick glance and she smiled at him. He blushed profusely when he noticed all his comrades were now looking at him. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled.

"Better late than never right guys?"

Everyone clapped and smiled at Naruto. Lee came over right away and shook his hand as Tenten patted his back. Sakura watched as Naruto became the center of attention. She couldn't help but think back to when they were younger. Sure he was still a goof, but he had gotten the acknowledgement he wanted from his peers so desperately as a child. Everyone gathered around Naruto asking him questions and making comments on his promotion.

Sakura noticed Ino walk to the corner of the living room. She wasted no time in turning on the karaoke machine. A mixture of groans and giggles came from the young shinobi's. The guys quickly got out of the way and sat down on the couches in the living room. The kunoichi's on the other hand were the enthusiastic ones as they gathered around and started singing their hearts out. The guys were content being the audience and not the signers. They cheered, they booed, and they laughed as their female counterparts battled it out.

After a few songs and a few drinks the girls retreated to the floor of Ino's living room giggling and gossiping. The guys no longer had a show to entertain them so they retreated outside. Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Naruto wink at her as he joined his friends outside.

Naruto started feeling the sake kicking in, his face felt warm and his body felt relaxed. He looked around him to see his fellow shinobi's drinking and laughing. Part of him realized that in due time he would no longer get to hang out with his friends and drink like this. He decided to treasure the moment so he took another drink of his sake and made his way towards Neji who in the middle of a conversation.

"You know have you guys noticed that most of the high rank missions we keep getting have something to do with rouge shinobi?"

"Yeah I noticed that too," said Shikamaru. "Then again it's expected, there aren't many missions available so shinobi are getting desperate for money. Doing someone else's dirty work puts food on the table."

"Well I heard rumors that its Sasuke behind all those rouge shinobi. Have you heard those rumors Naruto?" Asked Kiba.

Naruto kept drinking his sake, he didn't bother acknowledging Kiba's comment. He did however give him a warning glare. The group of young men grew quiet. Naruto continued to drink until he finished what was left of his sake; not once did he stop glaring at Kiba. Shino cleared his throat ending the silence and spoke.

"I think Sasuke would be doing something much more elaborate than leading a bunch of rogue shinobi Kiba. That rumor you say you heard is just that, a rumor."

"Shino is right Kiba Sasuke wouldn't be doing such minor crimes, it isn't like him," said Lee.

"I'm getting more sake does anyone else want anything?" Asked Naruto.

Everyone could tell that bringing up Sasuke's name had really annoyed him. Naruto still carried so much guilt for letting him get away; he had to choose whether to either defeat Madera or go after Sasuke. He made the decision to stay and fight Madera and help out in the war instead of pursuing Sasuke. That one choice saved the world but let Sasuke slip through his fingers again. Which left his promise to Sakura broken once more. Shikamaru could see Naruto growing uncomfortable talking about Sasuke.

"Just bring what's left of the sake bottle were drinking from Naruto. I'll bring the cooler out here. If we leave it inside with the girls might drink it all," said Shikamaru.

Naruto nodded and walked inside to find the girls laughing on the floor. Their faces were a bit flushed from the drinking. He saw Sakura enjoying herself so he forced himself to let Kiba slide on his comment about Sasuke. Shikamaru walked into the living room and reached for the cooler.

"Alright ladies we're taking the cooler outside so if you need a reload I suggest you get a beer now," said Shikamaru.

Ino sprang up quickly shaking her drink at Shikamaru.

Why do you guys have to take all beer!?"

"I never said you couldn't have more to drink we just want to make sure we get some too, remember sharing is caring Ino. Besides you have all that booze from your last party drink, some of that," said Shikamaru as he began to lift the cooler.

Ino pouted, she would have normally continued to fight, but the drinking had made her extremely mellow. She turned to her girlfriends; a devious smile broke on her face.

"Wait Shikamaru leave the cooler in here and you guys bring your asses inside. I challenge you guys to a drinking game!"

"Yeah drinking games!" Screamed Tenten.

Hinata tried to hide her face while Sakura laughed at Ino and Tenten.

"Whatever you say Ino. Come on guys get inside Ino has officially challenged us to some drinking games," said Shikamaru with his arms crossed. "You sure you want to do this honey you already look like you're buzzing," said Shikamaru.

"Oh don't try and talk yourself out if this one Shikamaru, we're playing."

Naruto came back into the living room to find Ino scrambling about bringing bottles of alcohol from the living room cabinets.

"I heard a commotion, what the hell is going on?" Asked Naruto.

Sakura walked up to him and leaned her body against his.

"Oh Ino has declared war against the guys is all. She's all fired up about her drinking games."

Naruto smirked as he took another drink and placed the sake bottle on the living room table. He grabbed Sakura's hand and led her to a nearby couch. They sat down together to watch the games commence. As Sakura sat next to Naruto she could tell by the look on his face that he was starting to feel the effects of the sake he was drinking

Sakura started feeling herself get hot just thinking about it. She mentally told herself to calm down, she would have Naruto soon enough.

"Alright listen up who's gonna be playing?!" Asked Ino. "If you aren't going to play then sit on the couches, everyone else that wants to have some real fun sit on the floor."

Sakura and Naruto were joined by Lee, Shino, and Hinata. Shino was the only one out of three that was seriously drinking; he just wasn't one for games. Lee would destroy Ino's house if he had any alcohol, so he had a sports drink in his hand. Hinata was too shy for games but she was drinking a bit. Ino had decided to play Kiku no hana first. This game would make sure everyone got hammered fast, that way Ino's next arsenal of games would be more fun. The game was easy enough there were 7 players so that meant 7 sake cups. One person hides a coin under one of the cups and mixes them around with no one looking. Then the tray of cups is passed around the circle of friends. Each person picks a cup and flips it over, if there isn't a coin under it they're safe, and the tray is passed to the next person. If you happen to flip the cup that has the coin you have to drink all the cups that have been overturned. So if you have five cups flipped over and you get the coin you have five cups of sake just for you. If you happen to be the poor bastard that placed the coin and no one else got it then you must drink the all cups.

"Let the game begin!" Said Ino.

Sakura cuddled next to Naruto, his body was so warm and comforting. Even though she wasn't drinking she was still having a really good time. Naruto wrapped his arm around her and brought her closer to him. Suddenly Sakura felt Naruto's laughter vibrate through his chest. She turned towards everyone playing to see why he was laughing. It was Sai, out of everyone playing he of all people was stuck being the last person so he had to drink 7 cups of sake. He took them like a champ and his pale skin had a light hue of pink to it as soon as he was done. Naruto leaned over to Sakura still laughing.

"Hey I gotta use the restroom, I'll be right back, let me know if Sai tries reading his book for tips on being drunk," chuckled Naruto.

He rose from the couch and disappeared down the hallway. Sakura leaned back into the soft couch and noticed Naruto's cup; he had finished what was left of his sake. A devilish grin covered her face.

"Hey Ino do you have any more sake other than the one you're using for your game?" Asked Sakura.

"Yeah there should be a new bottle in the fridge. Go ahead and bring it please we're almost done with Naruto's sake," said Ino.

Sakura got up and made her way towards the kitchen. Her friend's laughter and drunken banter could be heard all through the house. She walked into the kitchen to find Kiba pouring himself another mix drink.

.

Kiba sensed Sakura and looked at her. Sakura found herself feeling very exposed and on edge; she had no idea why though. She snapped out her moment of uncertainty and opened the fridge door. She grabbed the bottle of sake and took it to the counter. She carefully poured Naruto his drink. She couldn't help but noticed Kiba was still staring at her. He stumbled over to her; his nose sniffing the air.

"Why aren't drinking Sakura? I know you like to drink."

"Oh but I have been drinking," lied Sakura.

"No you haven't, that drink your pouring is Naruto's. I can tell because you don't smell like alcohol at all. Then again there's something else that's not right about you, you smell odd."

Kiba grew closer towards Sakura. She could smell the alcohol on his breath as he spoke to her; it burned her eyes. Kiba continued to assault her essence with his nose; it wasn't the same as when Naruto smelled her. She loved when Naruto took in her scent but she felt violated by Kiba, he was invading her privacy. Kiba grabbed her arm and pulled her close. He inhaled deeply as he took one last sniff of Sakura's scent. His eyes shot open and he snarled at her. He tightened his grip on her; his claws began to dig deep into her skin. Sakura winced and she quickly pulled her arm free from Kiba's grasp.

"What the hell is wrong with you Kiba!?" Yelled Sakura.

She took a few steps back only to bump into Shikamaru. He caught her and slowly pulled her behind him. She held her bleeding arm and peeked from behind him.

"What the hell is going on in here Kiba?!" Yelled Shikamaru.

Sakura could tell that Shikamaru had sobered up, and fast too. He wasn't acting like his lazy self, he was actually pissed.

"This is none of your fucking business Shikamaru so back off!" Spat Kiba.

"Oh well excuse me. I wasn't aware that you hurting my best friends girlfriends is none of my business!"

Sakura could hear everyone behind her grow quite. She knew without even looking that they were making their way towards the kitchen.

Sakura nervously thought to herself.

Ino walked up to Sakura and she quickly examined at her arm; her eyes widen. Sakura looked as well, Shikamaru coming in and confronting Kiba had almost made her forget that she was indeed bleeding. She started to tend to her wound when suddenly she heard Ino take in a small gasp of air. Sakura looked at Ino and followed her gaze only to see Naruto standing in the kitchen.

Sakura's face grew pale, she was so confused. She had no idea how to react towards Naruto. One part of her wanted to run towards him and tell him what had just happened, but that would only make things worse. Naruto had always been protective of her, even before they were dating. He wasn't stupid either he didn't need an explanation; all he knew was that she was hurt and there was someone to blame. To make matters worse he had been drinking. Naruto turned his gaze to Sakura trying to read her thoughts. Her eyes filled up with tears as he stared at her. Naruto stormed into the kitchen and passed Shikamaru. He rammed himself into Kiba while grabbing him by the rim of his shirt. He lifted him off the ground and slammed him against a wall.

"What the hell is your problem Kiba?!"

"You're my fucking problem Naruto!"

"I could care less what you think about me, but you hurt Sakura-chan and I will not let that slide!" Yelled Naruto.

"Oh spare me your pathetic threats Naruto."

"What makes you think I won't keep my word you mangy mutt!"

"Cool it Naruto, don't get carried away," warned Shikamaru.

Naruto clenched his teeth as he glared at Kiba. Shikamaru was right though. He could destroy Kiba if he wanted to and he couldn't let his anger get the best of him.

"Why would you go and keep something like this from us?" Whispered Kiba.

"What the hell are you talking?"

"When were you planning on informing us that Sakura is pregnant!? You might have tricked everyone else but you can't trick my nose!"

Naruto's eyes widen and he snarled at Kiba.

"Don't you think this is something you should be telling us!? You being a jinchuuriki is a constant threat and burden to the village, and now the legendary Naruto has a child on the way! Do you realize how much danger the village can be in right now?!"

"Kiba stop! It isn't your place to be bring up Naruto's personal affairs. You're making a fool of yourself," said Shino as he drew closer.

Naruto let go of Kiba completely and took a few steps back. Everyone in the room was shocked. They couldn't believe it.

"I will protect Konoha at any cost, the villagers know I will. Just because you're pissed that I didn't tell you all right away doesn't give you the right to hurt Sakura-chan. I just found out yesterday myself, Sakura felt awkward letting everyone know right away. We were going to tell you all as soon as we were done telling her mother."

Kiba pushed Naruto back before he could continue explaining.

"I'm not going to stand by as you put our home in danger Naruto. It's better for everyone if she just gets rid of it!" Barked Kiba.

Naruto's eyes went from cerulean blue to an enraging red; his pupils were mere slits now. He rushed towards Kiba ready to tear him to shreds when suddenly he was forced to abruptly stop; a certain kunoichi blocked his way. Hinata stood in front of Kiba and before he could tell her to get out of the way she slapped him.

"Kiba-kun that's enough! You're acting like a fool," scolded Hinata. "It's clear that you've had too much to drink. I know you wouldn't say such horrible things if you were sober.

"..."

"Naruto-kun isn't a burden, and neither is his unborn child."

Sakura could tell that Hinata's last comment was hard to say. Everyone knew Hinata still loved Naruto. Kiba's face was turned to the side due to Hinata slapping him. He hadn't moved its position at all; he couldn't bring himself to look at his teammate. The entire room was still, everyone was silent and the party they had just been participating in was now long forgotten. Finally Kiba looked at Hinata anger and sorrow mixed in his face.

"I almost lost you because of him! He wasn't strong enough and you went and put yourself in danger just to try and save him Hinata!"

Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. Images from her self sacrifice to save Naruto began to flood her mind. She felt foolish now that she looked back at how selfish she was. Hinata forced herself to look at Kiba despite the fact that it tore her heart to see him in this current state.

"I made that choice, and it was a mistake, I was being selfish. Naruto could have lost his soul to the Kyuubi, and the villagers could have lost their lives because of my interfering. We were all lucky enough that Naruto was strong enough to not let the Kyuubi take him over. Thankfully he beat Pain on his own."

Kiba looked back in Naruto's direction but wasn't able to make eye contact with him. Kiba looked broken. At first Naruto didn't understand. His anger was gone and now all that was left guilt on his face. Finally his behavior all made sense. Not only was he drunk but his inability to tell Hinata how he felt was the fuel that fed the fire. Naruto finally understood; Kiba had been acting like a jerk this whole time because of his bottled up feelings for Hinata.

"Fine Hinata have it your way, defend your precious Naruto like always," muttered Kiba.

He mustered his courage so that he could look his shy teammate in the face. Her tear streaked face made his heart ache. He had really made a mess of things. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt the women he loved so dearly.

"Kiba-kun it's not like that if you would just.."

"You know for having such unique eyes that can see so much you're utterly blind when it comes to seeing how much I care for you Hinata," whispered Kiba.

With that said he swiftly made his way out of the kitchen. Akamaru who had been asleep in the living room saw his master flee and the large ninken was right behind him. The door slammed harshly once they were both outside.

"No Kiba-kun, I'm sorry," cried Hinata.

She ran after him without even looking back at any of her friends. She felt absolutely horrible for slapping him, but there was nothing she could now. Shino watched as Hinata desperately made her way outside. He sighed heavily as he looked at everyone.

"I can't apologize enough for my idiot of a teammate's actions. I'm sorry this happened. I'll see if I can talk some sense into him."

Shino didn't wait for anyone to say anything. All of this was way out his comfort zone. It was even miracle that he addressed everyone. Within a few seconds he was gone as well. The kitchen was now dead silent. No one knew what to say. Naruto glared towards the direction Kiba had run off too. He found himself still angry, his blood was boiling. Suddenly he felt someone grasp his arm and he flinched; he gave a warning glare at the individual only to take it back. It was Sakura and she was looking up at him with tears still in her eyes. Naruto calmed down, his eyes went back to normal. He then looked at all his friends; no one said a word.

"We're leaving Sakura-chan," Naruto said firmly.

Part of Sakura agreed completely, she was so humiliated, she just wanted to run. Then again she knew their friends wouldn't shun them, and she felt bad walking out on them. She stopped debating and knew it was the best to just listen to Naruto.

"Yes Naruto," said Sakura quietly.

Ino wanted to object but she was quickly stopped by Shikamaru.

"He needs some time to cool off Ino," whispered Shikamaru.

Ino nodded and gave a weak smile at Sakura as they left. Everyone looked around at each other for answers on what had just happened. Suddenly the sound of a book closing was heard and Sai stumbled over to Ino.

"I couldn't find anything like this in my book of party etiquette, is behavior like this normal at parties?"

* * *

><p>Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, again next chapter is a lemon. So you've been warned.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10: Sex and seals

***NARUTO'S SEXINESS ISN'T MINE***

* * *

><p>The walk home was agonizing for Sakura; Naruto hadn't said a word since they had left the party. She walked quietly by his side as she touched her arm. Ino had healed it for her since she was in shock from the argument Naruto was having with Kiba. She was so caught off guard that even basic first aid had slipped her mind. Naruto's face was emotionless; Sakura couldn't stand seeing him like this. They approached Sakura's apartment building in silence. Naruto held the front door open for her and she slowly walked inside. She made her way up the stairs with Naruto behind her. She reached her front door and she slowly unlocked it. Sakura began to walked inside but she noticed that Naruto was just standing outside her door.<p>

"Naruto what's wrong aren't you coming inside?"

The sound of her own voice made Sakura's heart skip a beat; she had gotten use to the silence. Naruto remained perfectly still; his gaze was vacant and cold, as if he was somewhere else entirely.

"Naruto?"

Naruto didn't answer instead he slowly turned away from Sakura.

You're scaring me Naruto, please say something," pleaded Sakura.

"I failed you again," whispered Naruto.

"Failed me? What in world are you talking about?"

"No matter how hard I try you always end up getting hurt Sakura-chan. I really messed up tonight," said Naruto as he made his way down the hallway.

Sakura watched him slowly leave. Once he was out of her sight she snapped out of her stupor and ran after him. She caught up to him and threw herself into his back. She wrapped her arms around his chest and squeezed him. She tried her best to ground herself; she didn't want Naruto to get away from her.

"What happened at the party couldn't be helped, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was, I couldn't protect you."

"You can't always protect me Naruto. Why do you always beat yourself up, why?" Asked Sakura as she buried her face into his back.

Naruto sighed and brought one of his hands up to Sakura's.

"I should have had better control of myself back there. I let my anger get the best of me. I could have really hurt Kiba. I'm messing up Sakura-chan. I haven't been meditating as much as I should. I can feel the effects of neglecting my inner work, I need go."

"Go? What do you mean go? Are you leaving me?"

Naruto quickly turned around. He saw Sakura's desperate expression, it broke his heart.

"No I'm not leaving you Sakura-chan. I didn't mean it like that. I just need to regain my thoughts and sort things out. I desperately need to meditate. My relationship with the Kyuubi is all about balance and right now I'm far from it. I have so many things on my mind right now. I just need some release," said Naruto quietly.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and brought him closer to her face. She looked into his cerulean blue eyes; she could always lose herself easily while gazing at them.

"I can help you with some release Naruto," whispered Sakura.

She brought her lips to his and pulled him towards her. She walked backwards leading her boyfriend into her apartment. At first Naruto protested; he wasn't making it easy for Sakura to lead him back inside. However Sakura continued to lure him with her lust filled kisses. She gently pulled at his bottom lip coaxing him to let loose. She broke the kiss leaving him wanting more.

"Please don't leave Naruto. I don't want to be alone, please stay with me tonight," pleaded Sakura.

Naruto looked into her jade eyes and he couldn't help but want to stay. He could never say no to Sakura, he always wanted her to be happy. He didn't answer but Sakura knew she had won him over when he closed the door behind him. He approached her and they continued kissing one another. They held each other close as they continued to devour each other's mouths. Sakura pulled away slightly from Naruto's lips and grabbed the front of his pants pulling him towards her bedroom. Naruto slowly followed her without saying a word. Sakura led him to her bed and pushed him softly on his chest so he'd sit down.

She stood in front of him and began to unzip her shirt. She removed it from each arm slowly revealing her light pink lace bra. Naruto remained motionless as she began to undo the clasp that held her skirt up. It fell to the floor and she stepped out of it kicking it off to the side. She looked at Naruto who was just watching her remove her clothing. Sakura couldn't tell what he was thinking, or if he was even thinking at all. She smirked and began removing her skin tight black shorts; she wiggled her hips to help take them off.

"Take off your clothes Naruto," purred Sakura.

Naruto snapped out of his trance and looked up at Sakura. She leaned over him and placed her hands on his knees. Her breasts hung low and Naruto couldn't help but gulp nervously.

"Hurry up Naruto I want you, don't you want me?" Asked Sakura seductively.

She reached for his jacket zipper and pulled it down. Once open she ran her hands along his chest. Sakura reluctantly pulled away from Naruto and placed her hands behind her back so that she could unclasp her bra. Naruto heard the clasps come undone but Sakura held her bra tightly around her breasts.

"You don't get to see anymore until you get undressed."

Naruto obeyed and quickly removed his clothes; the next thing Sakura knew he was naked on her bed.

"They're off like you wanted Sakura-chan, so now what?" Asked Naruto.

Sakura smirked and she let go of her unclasped bra and crept up to Naruto. She crawled onto the bed and looked down at her prey. She was happy that Naruto had finally shown some sort of emotion, but she could tell that he did have a lot on his mind. Usually he'd be the one taking charge, but Sakura enjoyed having the tables turned in her favor every now and then. She lowered her body onto Naruto's; he could feel her breasts push up against his bare chest. Naruto placed his hands over his girlfriend's delicate body; he could feel himself getting hard.

Their bodies melted as one, as they both clung to each other not wanting to let the other go. Naruto moved his hands onto Sakura's firm ass and gently began to pull her panties off. Sakura felt Naruto slowly tugging on her underwear. She lifted her hips slightly to allow him to remove her last article of clothing. He then let his fingertips trial back up her legs. Naruto's touch sent sparks of pleasure pulsating through Sakura's inner core. She whimpered and buried her face into Naruto's neck; she heard a growl rumble in his throat. She opened her eyes wide but it was too late, there was nothing she could do. She felt Naruto rise up from below her and he swiftly pin her to the bed. He was now on top of Sakura looking down at her with pure desire in his eyes.

She noticed that his eyes were still blue but his pupils were no longer round; they were slits. She realized what had changed Naruto; she had showed a moment of weakness, and sex to Naruto was all about dominance. Naruto was usually very carefree and goofy around his friends. However his sexual relationship with Sakura was something entirely different. His normal persona was set aside and a more feral Naruto immerged. Sakura's heart raced as Naruto held her arms down on the bed. He lowered his face so that it was mere inches from hers.

"What do you want Sakura-chan?"

"I want you Naruto," answered Sakura.

"You want me, but you already have me, I'm right here in front of you. You need to be more specific on what it is you want in order to get it Sakura-chan," growled Naruto as he kissed her collar bone.

Sakura shuddered as his lips touched her body. She wiggled around unable to contain the fact that she was getting wet. She felt Naruto's breathe on her neck and his grip on her hands grew stronger.

"I'm waiting Sakura-chan. You were so enthusiastic a moment ago, why are you so quiet now?"

Naruto lowered himself down towards Sakura's breasts; he began to lick and tease one of her pink nipples.

"I want you to make love to me Naruto," whimpered Sakura. "I'm all yours and all I want right now is for you to claim me. Mark me Naruto."

Sakura spread her legs inviting Naruto to drive right in. His eyes widen at her answer; usually it was fuck me Naruto when he teased her like this. Then again his pink haired girlfriend didn't always want the same thing when it came to sex. Sometimes she wanted a good hard fuck, and then there were times when she'd want him to make love to her. Sex was sex but Sakura was never shy when it came to telling Naruto what she wanted. Making love was well beyond physical contact, it was on a higher emotional level entirely. One that Naruto knew all too well, he was glad to be one with Sakura in more ways than just physical contact. Naruto kissed her neck and whispered into her ear.

"Is that what you want Sakura-chan? All you had to do was ask."

Naruto grabbed Sakura by her hips and positioned himself at her opening. He pressed the head of his member at her entrance and left it there for a few moments. He looked at her and leaned towards her ear.

"You're mine Sakura-chan," whispered Naruto.

It was then that he fully entered her but not forcefully. He entered her slowly while kneading her breasts and kissing her. Sakura wrapped her legs tightly around Naruto's hips ensuring better access for him. She kissed him passionately running her fingers deep into his blonde hair. Her grip on his locks would tighten each time he drove himself deeper into her. Naruto kept his pace slow; he wanted to savor how glorious his girlfriend felt. Sakura threw her head back onto her pillow as Naruto sucked on her right nipple. He gently nibbled on it as it perked up in anticipation. Naruto then moved his face towards the nape of Sakura's neck and kissed her softly. His breathing was beginning to quicken, and Sakura felt the heat from each breath he took envelop her neck.

Naruto opened his mouth and took in a good chunk of her flesh in his jaws. He sucked vigorously on her neck causing Sakura to thrash underneath him. Sakura wrapped her legs tighter around Naruto hips begging him to pick up his speed. Naruto felt her pull him towards her with her legs; he listened to her request and picked up his pace. Naruto continued to nibble and suck on her neck as he made love to her. Sakura moved her hands towards Naruto's back and she dragged her nails across it. Naruto suddenly gave a hard thrust into her and bit down on her neck. Sakura gasped and dug her fingernails deep into his back. She was in a world of ecstasy. She couldn't take all the pleasure she was experiencing, it was as if she was suffering from sensory overload. Naruto released her neck; he had been gentle this time. Sakura could feel the warmth of her blood roll down the side of her neck and onto her bed sheets. She turned her head to the side and relaxed as Naruto had his way with her. Naruto looked down at Sakura's face; her eyes were hazy and she had a feverish look on her face. Her body moved up and down gracefully on the bed sheets each time Naruto entered her. Her breasts bounced and Naruto noticed her body had a light layer of sweat all over it. He too was sweating, his forehead protector was collecting most of the sweat he had on his brow. He drove himself harder into Sakura, he kept himself deep inside her as he spoke.

"Roll over Sakura-chan," growled Naruto.

Sakura turned her face towards Naruto and looked up at him. He had sweat all over his face and chest. The tassels from his forehead protector hung over his shoulders. She marveled at his toned body, those years of training really showed on his well sculpted frame. She slowly nodded her head at her boyfriend. She unwrapped her legs and let go of Naruto's hips. She felt him pull his length out of her. She rolled over onto her tummy and remained still. Naruto grabbed her hips and lifted them up. He placed his hand on the small of her back keeping her face and chest on the bed.

"Raise that cute little ass as high as you can Sakura-chan."

She did as she was told and kept her hips high up while the rest of her remained on the bed. She felt Naruto part her legs. His hands spread her lips apart and he rammed himself roughly inside her. He held onto her hips and pulled her towards him each time he entered her. Sakura buried her face in her pillow; Naruto could hear her muffled moans and cries. He showed no mercy on her as he continued to rapidly thrust himself into her. He panted and took his breathes in quickly. The room was hot, and the air was thick with the heat of passion; Naruto knew their love making session was only making it worse. Sakura had one of her hands pressed up against her headboard. Naruto's strength behind his thrusts had pushed her up against it; she was using all her strength to keep herself from colliding with it.

Sakura was so wet that Naruto was easily slipping in and out of her without any effort. It was driving him insane how turned on she was. The smell of her sweet essences invaded his nose and he clenched his teeth; fighting back the urge to bite her again. He ignored his feral cravings and focused himself on making Sakura feel wonderful. Sakura suddenly began to feel a tingling sensation below her navel; it pulsated with Naruto's rhythmic motion. She felt her walls tighten around Naruto's dick as he relentlessly pounded her. Sakura closed her eyes tightly as the sensation grew more overwhelming; she threw back her head as she came.

"Naruto!" She screamed passionately.

Her juices gushed out and dripped down her legs and onto the bed. Naruto let out a feral growl as he grabbed Sakura beautiful pink locks. He roughly pulled her head back using her hair as reins. Naruto held onto her delicate locks with one hand while the other stayed firmly clasped to her left hip. His claws pierced her soft porcelain skin; he could feel himself reaching his breaking point. Naruto's right ear twitched as he heard something in the apartment, but he ignored it. He then let go of her hair and placed both his hands on her hips for support. He snarled loudly and gave Sakura one last hard deep thrust. He felt himself fill her up with his seed; it was an amazing feeling. He felt his body weaken as he emptied himself inside her; it was becoming harder to keep himself upright. He leaned over his girlfriend and placed both his arms over her petite frame. He remained inside her and he lowered his head to her back. Sakura felt the coolness of his forehead protector touch her; its tassels tickled her flesh.

Naruto's eyes shot open as he smelt another person in the room with them. How could he have been so careless, he knew he'd heard something, but he went and ignored it since he was so close to his climax. Naruto didn't move, he remained perfectly still as he continued to pant heavily over Sakura. He knew without a doubt who was in the room watching them. There was no time to move, to hide, or even warn Sakura. Suddenly the bedroom light turned on exposing both young lovers. Naruto did everything he could possibly do to not lose his temper. He felt Sakura's body tense up; a small gasp of surprise escaped from her mouth. Naruto pulled her body up to his and held her close. His eyes burned from the sudden burst of light. He snapped his head quickly towards the entrance of Sakura's room. His vision was still blurry but he didn't need his sight to know who it was. There standing in the doorway frozen in horror was Hanako, Sakura's mother.

Naruto snarled, and with every ounce of his strength he did his best not to snap. This was beyond horrible timing, and probably one of the most humiliating moments in his life. Sakura turned her head to see her mother gawking at both of them.

"Mom!?"

She scrambled underneath Naruto looking for some article of clothing to cover herself with. Suddenly she noticed that Naruto had both his hands grasped on her breasts. He was doing what he could to keep her covered up. Sakura averted her gaze from her mother to Naruto. It was a bit difficult to see him since she was on all fours, but she could tell that his breath taking blue eyes were lost in a madness of red. His lips were quivering as he bared his elongated canines. Sakura knew he had to be exhausted, but his body was now revitalized at the sense of danger. He was tense and ready to strike; this was a very dangerous situation.

"Naruto?" Whispered Sakura delicately.

Naruto didn't change his behavior nor did he pay attention to Sakura. His glare remained fixed on her mother. Suddenly he let out a roar that shook the room. The sheer force of it made Sakura's mother lose her balance and she fell to the floor. Hanako was speechless; she sat on the floor horror stricken. Seventeen years ago she'd come face to face with this monster. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she'd see the Kyuubi again; let alone in bed with her daughter.

The gut wrenching call of the Kyuubi was something Sakura would never get use too. Since Naruto had become one with it he had gained much more of the Kyuubi's characteristics. In order to keep it from taking him over completely he needed to meditate in order to keep the balance between their chakras. Like Naruto had told her earlier he wasn't mentally stable, what with all the new stress he had been under since he got home. The Kyuubi's uncontrollable anger was seeping out and consuming Naruto.

_How could I be so stupid? I should have listened to Naruto when he told me he needed to meditate. I shouldn't have made him stay, like always I make things worse. Thought Sakura._

"Get out mother now!" Said Sakura firmly.

She was trying her best not to show fear in her remained stricken with fear and was unable to hear her daughter's orders.

"Mother!"

Hanako snapped out of her stupor and looked at her daughter's eyes with terror and concern on her face.

"Sakura get away from him," pleaded Hanako." He'll kill you."

"No mother he won't, but he'll kill you if you don't listen to me and leave this room now."

Sakura knew that Naruto would never kill her mother, but she was hoping it would get her mother to move faster. Naruto let out another immense roar and lowered his body even more into Sakura. She felt him hovering over her. Sakura tried to roll over so she could look him in the face but he held her firmly in his clutches. His breathing was rapid; Sakura slowly turned her face to look at his. He had a glazed look over his eyes as if he was somewhere else entirely.

"Naruto please come back to me," whispered Sakura.

* * *

><p>Naruto found himself naked in a boiler room basement standing in front of the Kyuubi's prison. It had been sometime since he had actually made himself appear in front of its cage like this. He would usually just talk to it aloud, or in his mind. The Kyuubi peered at Naruto snarling as it lowered itself down to his level; its large nose was inches from Naruto's face.<p>

"**This is an insult to us both Naruto!" Roared the Kyuubi.**

"It's isn't the best position to find ourselves in I agree, but you need to calm down. This is Sakura-chan's mother we can't hurt her," said Naruto.

"**Why are defending this women? She hates us with a passion. She's never given us any respect, and then she just barges in while we're mating! Why would you defend such scum!?"**

Naruto looked away from the Kyuubi and instead looked at the water that flooded the floor.

"Because Sakura-chan loves her. If it weren't for Hanako I wouldn't have Sakura-chan in my life. Now please I'm asking you to settle down. Don't make me take matters into my own hands and force you."

"**Foolish boy you're as stubborn as your mother! She never listened to me either. You're just as naïve and weak as she was Naruto, it disgusts me," spat the Kyuubi.**

"My mother wasn't weak and either am I!"

"**Silence!"**

"I find it amusing that you're taking me so lightly. It just proves you aren't thinking straight. Now settle down, this is your last warning."

"**I am not a caged puppy for you to discipline as you see fit Naruto. On the contrary you're the pup here, and I'm settling this matter now!" Roared the Kyuubi.**

Naruto shook his head in disappointment.

"I warned you."

* * *

><p>Naruto's grip on Sakura's breasts was suddenly broken. He let out a bellowing howl as he grabbed the sides of his head and screamed. Suddenly his seal appeared on his body; it pulsated as if it had a mind of its own. The key to the Kyuubi's cage appeared on Naruto's right arm. He slammed his hand on his eight trigram seal on his stomach and turned it counter clockwise. The key unlocked a massive torri that slammed on top of the Kyuubi, leaving it defenseless. This helped Naruto greatly on suppressing the it's negative influence. Naruto's eyes slowly started coming back to normal; his breathing was shaky and shallow. Steam was coming off his seal and after a few seconds it began to fade away.<p>

"Behave," whispered Naruto.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapse on Sakura. She wasn't able to catch him since she was on her stomach but she braced herself for the impact of his body's dead weight. She pulled herself from underneath him and rolled him over. She pulled his limp body towards her and she rested his head in between her breast. She held him close as tears filled her eyes.

"Mom please give us some privacy, wait for me in the living room, I'll be right there," said Sakura in a somber voice.

Hanako was still on the floor; she picked herself up and without looking back she walked into the living room. Sakura let out a small sigh of relief; at least her mother wasn't in the room anymore. She looked at Naruto and placed her hands on both sides of his head. Green chakra began to emit from her palms as she closed her eyes focusing on her boyfriend's wellbeing. He was completely knocked out; she wasn't even sure if he'd dream. Sakura slowly pulled herself away from Naruto and covered him up with her bed sheets. She then reached for his shirt and her panties. She put them on and walked out of her room. She was about to confront her mother when she heard a knock at her door. She could hear a variety of concerned voices. Sakura opened the door to see the manager of her apartment building and many concerned neighbors looking at her for answers.

"Miss Haruno what in the world is going on in there?!" Asked her apartment manager in a nervous voice.

Clearly all the residents including the manager were scared senseless. Sakura walked outside and closed the door behind her.

"I'm so very sorry for alarming you all so late in the evening. Naruto has just come back from a very long difficult mission. He's been having horrible nightmares since his return. When he dreams the Kyuubi is more active, so he can be rather loud during these episodes. I'm doing everything I can medically for him and I've got him under control now, please forgive me," said Sakura.

She bowed down as low as could to show her respect and apologies to her neighbors. Most of the residents looked content with her answer. In reality she wasn't really lying, Naruto did have nightmares, mostly about Sasuke.

"I'm very sorry to hear that Naruto isn't doing so well. I hope he recovers with a good night's rest. We just wanted to make sure everything was ok Miss Haruno. Please have a good night, and if you need anything don't hesitate to ask," said the manager politely.

"Thank you so much for understanding," said Sakura as she closed the door.

She leaned up against the door and sighed; she could hear her neighbors making their way back into their apartments. Before Sakura could gather her thoughts she felt her mother's eyes on her. She stood up straight and braced herself for what was to come. She slowly made her way towards the living room. Before Sakura could explain herself her mother spoke.

"I know you're pregnant Sakur. Tsume Inuzuka called me about thirty minutes ago with the news. Why would you keep something like this hidden from me?! Do you know how horrible it is to get this kind of news from a friend and not from my own daughter! " Yelled Hanako.

"Tsume Inuzuka told you?" Asked Sakura.

"Yes she told me Kiba came home with a black eye. She asked what happened and he refused to talk. Finally she was able to get him to explain that he and Naruto had a fight concerning your pregnancy. I couldn't believe it when she told me."

_Naruto didn't touch Kiba, how could he have a black eye? Thought Sakura. _

"Why couldn't you just call me mom? Why'd you barge in here?! You could of at least knocked or call my name when you came in. Instead you walked in and…"

Sakura couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. The thought of her mother catching her and Naruto at the peak of their lovemaking was mortifying. She blushed deeply and looked at the floor.

"I didn't barge in, not on purpose at least. I was going to come up here to talk to you, but the noises I heard were horrible. There were people outside looking at your apartment door for heavens sake! They all looked at me since I was making my way towards it. Honestly Sakura I thought you were in trouble so I used the spare key you gave me for emergencies. I must admit though I didn't expect to see what I saw," said Hanako.

Sakura's blushed deepened; she felt like her face would burst into flames at any moment.

"He could have killed you Sakura! Just look at your neck, it's covered in blood," said Hanako as she pointed at Sakura's wound.

Sakura placed her hand on her neck; it was covered in dry blood. She winced as she placed her hand on it; she hadn't had a chance to heal herself.

"This isn't what you think it is mom. This is just how he shows affection when were intimate."

"That's a rather cruel way to show affection Sakura. I never wanted you to get involved with him. Uzumaki Naruto is a monster and now you've gotten yourself dangerously close to him by carrying his child."

Sakura placed her hands on her belly; tears began to roll down her face as she stood before her mother.

"Naruto isn't a monster! I'm tired of people calling him that! He's risked his life to protected Konoha countless times. If it wasn't for him being born the Kyuubi would have destroyed our home all those years ago. Did you ever take the time to think about that mom? He didn't choose to be a jinchuuriki. That choice was made for him. The 4th Hokage was seen as a hero who saved us all, but people didn't know that his only son helped ensure the protection of our home. Instead of instantly gaining Konoha's favor he was seen as trash and the village's burden. He was never treated the way his father thought he would be. He was never treated as our savior, instead he was seen as a monster."

Sakura fell to her knees while still holding her stomach tightly; she cried uncontrollably.

"You along with our friend's parents raised us to avoid him like the plague. As children we made his life a living hell! We were so cruel to him. Despite how horrible we all were to him, he still wanted to be our friends. He's always loved me mom, always. No matter how much I pushed him away he was always there for me. It took me forever to finally realize that I love him too."

"Sakura you could have had anyone else, why Naruto?!" Asked Hanako.

"When you say anyone else you mean Sasuke-kun don't you? I'm sorry to inform you mom but he's the real monster. Naruto harbors the Kyuubi's undying lust for hatred inside him, yet he's never lets it from keep him being happy. Sasuke on the other hand let his revenge take him over and he scarified us all in the process. He tried to kill me twice mom, he would have succeed if Kakashi-sensei and Naruto hadn't been there to save me."

Hanako's body stiffened; Sakura had never bothered telling her mother how she'd escaped death twice.

"Even after he killed his brother, and got his revenge he still wasn't content. Instead he swore to destroy Konoha, the very thing his brother died protecting. He's done so much to see his former home be wiped out, but Naruto does everything to keep it safe. Why can't you see that the man I love is responsible for the peace we all have in the shinobi world?" Asked Sakura in a shaky voice.

Hanako watched as her daughter sat on the floor covered in tears. She rose from her seat and knelt down next to her sobbing daughter. She wrapped her arms around her and brought her close. Sakura felt her mother's warm embrace. She honestly thought she'd never feel her mothers hug her again. Sakura lost control and held onto her mother tightly.

"Sakura I never knew much about Sasuke. In reality I didn't want to believe all the horrible things people said he was doing. I was in denial, but you experience everything he did didn't you? I'm sorry I was so blind. I never knew what you were feeling. It's true Naruto isn't who I wanted you to end up with, but that was because I never bothered learning anything about him. I can't tell you why I never saw the good in him Sakura. I'm just a stubborn woman I guess. I still have the fear of the Kyuubi close to heart. To see you near its wrath all the time is unbearable to watch. However you're right, Naruto has done a great deal to protect the village, and you. I owe him a great deal for that. I'm sorry it took me so long to see the truth. What we need to focus on now is that we have a baby on the way."

"I just want Naruto to have a normal life with a family. That's something he's never had before mom. I want to give him a child. One he can love and watch grow up. I want him to be able to give his child what he never had. Naruto's given me so much, now it's my turn to give him something wonderful as well," cried Sakura as she held her mother close.

"You've become such a strong kunoichi Sakura. I know I never wanted you to become one, but I'm glad you never listened to me. Your father would be very proud of you and I know he'd agree with me when I say that I know you'll make a wonderful mother, and I'm sure Naruto will make a wonderful father as well," whispered Hanako.

Sakura wiped the tears from her face; she couldn't believe what she had just heard her mother say. She smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek.

"Thanks mom, I love you," whispered Sakura as he held her mother tightly.

The two women continued to hold each other close as Naruto lay asleep in bed unaware of the events that were unfolding.


	11. Chapter 11: Summer's heat

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Bright rays of light courtesy of the sun burned Naruto's eyes as they entered Sakura's bedroom. He moaned as he rolled over in bed. He desperately tried his best to go back to sleep, but as much as he tried he couldn't. Naruto forced himself to open his eyes and he looked around the room lazily. His eyes stung and his vision was still blurry. He strained his eyes and soon Sakura's room slowly came into focus. He looked to his right to see Sakura wasn't in bed with him. He sat up and the next thing he knew his head was throbbing and his entire body ached.<p>

"I didn't drink that much last night. So why the hell does my head hurt so much?"

Naruto's mind was clouded, he couldn't think straight. He rubbed his temples and it was then that he noticed he was still wearing his forehead protector.

"That's weird I usually take this off when I go to bed. Hmph, maybe I did have a little too much to drink last night," said Naruto.

The sound of his own voice made his head pulsate with pain. He groaned at the thought of doing anything today; he felt like shit. He was about to get out of bed when he noticed how the bed sheets felt against his bare skin. He lifted the covers to discover he was naked. He covered himself back up utterly confused; did he have sex last night? Naruto ran his fingers through his messy hair trying to remember what happened the night before. He looked around again for any signs of Sakura. It was then that he realized the bathroom door was closed and the shower water was running.

"So that's where she is, maybe I should join her. I don't think she'll be happy that my minds a blur about last night, but hopefully she can fill me in on what happened."

Naruto began to make his way out of bed when out of nowhere his right arm throbbed immensely. He held it tightly as he winced from the sudden surge of pain. His eyes shot open abruptly, this wasn't just any pain, he'd felt this before.

Suddenly last nights memories rapidly flooded his mind; he suddenly remembered everything. Sakura's mother had walked in on them having sex, and Naruto had almost lost control. He looked down at his arm. The last thing he remembered, was using the key on his arm to summon his torri seal. Naruto placed his good hand over his face trying to get a hold of himself.

"That was the most embarrassing moment I've ever experience in my life. Sakura-chan's mother doesn't even like me and she walks in to find me banging her daughter. I wonder what the hell happened after I passed out."

Naruto felt horrible, he wasn't sure he could face Sakura. He got out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible. He was careful not to use his arm to much since it was in such bad shape. Naruto sat on the edge of her the as he struggled to put his shoes on. His cell phone slipped out of his pocket and onto the bed. He picked it up and saw that it was dead; he tossed it aside and stood up. He walked over to Sakura's window and opened it. There was no way he was going to use the front door. Last time he got a little carried away with his noise level he got all kinds of looks from the tenants; he wasn't up to people looking at him right now. He heard the shower water turn off; he had to leave before Sakura saw him.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan," whispered Naruto.

He charged some chakra onto his feet and ran up on the wall of the building. He made it to the very top and decided to use the roof tops as his route to his destination. He jumped from building to building as he dashed quickly towards his destination. The sun was brilliantly bright and high up in the morning sky. Naruto had no idea what time it was, but judging by the position of the sun he decided it was somewhere around the 8 o'clock hour. He looked around the village as he traveled, everyone was hustling about. He liked seeing Konoha start to come to life. Shops were opening, and people were starting off their days.

Naruto smiled he was glad to be home. He took in a deep breath and returned his focus on his trip. He made sure to quicken his pace, he didn't want any of his friends spotting him. The village buildings started to become further and further apart as Naruto made his way towards his old training grounds. He finally leaped off the last building and landed nimbly on the soft meadow grass below him. He looked around from side to side taking in his nostalgic surroundings. He was standing in a lush green field that was team 7's old training grounds. He smiled when he saw the three tree stumps embedded in the ground.

Naruto slowly walked over to the middle stump and placed his good hand on it. He looked down and laughed as he remembered how he had gotten himself tied up with no lunch on their first task as a team. All they had to do was get a pair of bells from Kakashi. A task that young Naruto thought was simple, boy was he wrong. He had attacked his sensei head on just to fail epically, time and time again. As a punishment he was tied to this very stump with no lunch.

He smirked remembering how Kakashi had told Sakura and Sasuke not to feed him; yet they did. Sasuke realized that they needed to work as a team in order to get the bells. So both he and Sakura broke Kakashi's one rule by feeding Naruto. Kakashi appeared in front of them hell bent on scolding them when his attitude completely changed and he announced that they had passed their exam. That one act of disobeying their sensei's orders was the entire point of their test; it wasn't about the bells at all.

"Shinobi need to learn how to look pass deception. In our world those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. Isn't that right Kakashi sensei?" Asked Naruto aloud.

He turned around and leaned back against the wooden stump. He slowly let himself slide till he was sitting with his legs crossed. He sighed and looked up at the sky.

"That's why I won't give up on you Sasuke, I never will," whispered Naruto.

With that said he looked forward and took a deep breathe; he slowed his breathing and started to relax his entire body. The pain from his right arm was intense, it hurt like shit. He had no idea if it was broken or if he had torn something. In reality it didn't matter, he'd worry about it later, besides he'd start to heal in the next few hours anyway. Naruto let out a long deep breath and he fully let himself go. Silenced engulfed him as he remained perfectly still. He continued to focus on his breathing when he noticed something; it was rather quite. The Kyuubi would usually butt in when Naruto was trying to meditate, but this time the demon fox was nowhere to be seen or heard. Naruto figured the Kyuubi was mad at him. It hadn't been the first time, nor would it be the last. It was better like this anyway, Naruto could have full peace to regain his thoughts, and put his inner turmoil at ease.

* * *

><p>Sakura paced around her apartment finding it hard to stay still. It was passed noon and she hasn't heard from Naruto at all. She held his cellphone in her hand; it was dead so he hadn't bothered taking it with him. Sakura walked into her bedroom and threw herself into the comfort of her bed. She was so worried about Naruto. She had no idea what kind of condition he had left in. He hadn't left her a note explaining his actions. All he had left was his cell phone. Sakura held Naruto's phone tightly in her hands as she wondered when he'd be coming back to her.<p>

She sighed as she reached for her own phone that was next to her in bed. She flipped it open to see she had no messages or missed calls. No one had bothered calling her about last night, not even Ino. She knew her best friend must've been dying by not calling, but Shikamaru was probably holding her back from doing so.

"Is it really possible to have so much go wrong in a single night?" Asked Sakura as she rolled over and buried her face in her bed sheets.

Images from the night before raced through her mind. First the fight with Kiba, then her mother walking in on her and Naruto. It was mortifying but at least her relationship with her mother was still intact. Hanako had finally seen things from Sakura's point of view and thanks to that she was happy to help her daughter in any way she could. Sakura was happy that her relationship with her mother was on the mend. Part of her was so scared that she would have to do this all alone, but now she had Hanako to share her motherly advice with her now.

Suddenly a soft knock on Sakura's front door made her lift her face from her covers. She sat up and looked at her phone; had someone tried calling her? Her phone showed no signs of any missed calls so she knew it couldn't be Ino. She slid off her bed and made her way to her front door. She opened it to find her former sensei standing in front of her. A small smile could be seen through the fabric that hid his mysterious face.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Good morning Sakura, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh no Kakashi-sensei I was just resting in my room. Would you like to come inside?"

"I can't stay long, but yes I'll come inside. What I have to say should be discussed behind closed doors anyways," said Kakashi as he made his way inside his former student's apartment.

Kakashi closed the door behind him and leaned his slender body against it.

"Is everything alright?" Asked Sakura.

"Oh no everything's fine. I'm not here bringing bad news or anything. It's just that Team 7 has a new mission and we need to report to Tsunade-sama in about an hour. I tried looking for Naruto first but he wasn't home so I figured he'd be here with you."

Sakura's head hung low and she sighed.

"He was here earlier but he left when I was in the shower."

"Do you know where he went?"

"No, I have no idea. All I know is that he told me he needed to meditate last night. He's had a lot on his mind since he got from his last mission, but if he is meditating I would have thought he'd be back by now."

"Sometimes meditating can take some time and if Naruto has been under large amounts of stress then a normal session could take double the time. Besides you shouldn't be stressing yourself in your present condition," said Kakashi.

"I guess you're right," sighed Sakura.

"What's wrong?"

"I've made a mess of things Kakashi-sensei. I put Naruto at risk last night, and then my mother came in and, oh my god," Sakura replied feverishly.

Kakashi was taken aback from her state and she began to blush when she noticed he was just looking at. She quickly covered her face from Kakashi's gaze in embarrassment. She couldn't believe what she had just told Kakashi. Thankfully she hadn't told him everything but she still felt a bit awkward, but her concern for Naruto pushed those feelings aside. She pulled her face away from her hands so she could face her former sensei.

"I just want to make sure Naruto's ok."

"Sakura I'm.."

"Could you please relay a message to him for me?"

"Sure what would you like me to tell him?"

"Please let him know I'll be waiting here for him here, and that I'm sorry," whispered Sakura.

Kakashi's head tilted as he heard the concern Sakura expressed in her voice. Clearly something was going between his two former students, but he wasn't one to pry into their personal affairs.

"I'll make sure he gets the message."

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei. I'm sorry for being an emotional mess, really I am."

"Sakura please don't worry so much."

"I know I shouldn't, but I just can't help myself."

"Then think about your baby. Stress isn't good for a pregnant women."

Sakura brought her head up to look at her former sensei.

"Kakashi sensei you.."

Kakashi held up a gloved hand gesturing her to stop talking.

"You don't have to say anything Sakura. Tsunade-sama told me everything while I was getting briefed on our mission. You know I'm not one to butt in on your personal life but this information had to be shared since we're all on the same team. So it looks like you'll be sitting out on missions for some time now."

"I see that does make sense doesn't it."

"You know Tsunade wouldn't share such sensitive information unless it was truly necessary."

"No you're right and I understand," said Sakura as he looked down at her stomach. "I just still can't believe that I won't be going on missions anymore. The thought of being a mother is still new to me."

Sakura felt Kakashi's hands on her shoulders as she looked down at her flat stomach. She was bit surprised and she quickly turned her attention towards him.

"Congratulations Sakura," said Kakashi politely.

Sakura's eyes widened at his kind words. She wasn't use to hearing positive reactions to her pregnancy. Kiba's statements from last night had made her think differently about being pregnant. It scared her to think that she and her unborn child could possibly be a threat and burden to the village. She knew it wasn't true though, but those words still hurt. Then her mother wasn't too pleased at first because Naruto was the father. Even though she understood now her initial reaction was disapproving. Kakashi on the other hand had nothing negative to say to her, nor did he lecture her that she and Naruto were too young to be parents. All this cool headed shinobi had to say to her was congratulations. It was good to hear someone authentically be happy for her.

Kakashi's kind words brought tears of joy to Sakura's beautiful jade eyes. She threw herself into his chest and hugged her former sensei tightly. Kakashi was caught off guard as the young kunoichi knocked the wind out of him. He paused while blushing profusely; he looked down nervously as Sakura held him close. Small whimpers escaped her mouth as she held onto him. He wasn't one for showing any form of affection in public, or in general for that matter, so this was new to him. He held his arms up not sure whether to hug her back or not.

"Thank you so much Kakashi-sensei," whispered Sakura.

Kakashi relaxed when he heard her speak; he couldn't help but smile as he lowered his arms and brought her closer to him. He remembered holding her in his arms when she was younger and defenseless. She was always so scared to fight and she always relied on her teammates to save her. Kakashi had seen her grow so much since then. She was no longer scared and weak; no Haruno Sakura was a force to be reckoned with now. She had blossomed into a fine kunoichi, and now she was expecting a child. So much was happening and Kakashi couldn't believe what his two former students were facing. All he knew was that he wouldn't abandon them. After the two shared a warm embrace Kakashi slowly pulled Sakura from his body and smiled at her.

"Now it looks like I have a message to deliver doesn't it?"

Sakura smiled as she wiped away her fresh tears from her face; she nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll find Naruto Sakura so please don't worry. I'll send Pakkun over here as soon as I find him. If for any reason Naruto gets here before I find him tell him to send a messenger toad to inform me. Let him know about our meeting with Tsunade-sama. If everything goes according to plan I'll meet you at her office in 30 minutes."

"Yes Kakashi-sensei, I understand."

With that said Kakashi turned around and made his way towards the front door. He opened it but before he stepped out he slowly turned around and smiled at Sakura.

"I'll find Naruto Sakura, I promise."

* * *

><p>Naruto hadn't moved at all since he'd arrived at his old training grounds early that morning. He had remained in the exact same spot mediating. However the heat of the day was at its peak and it was starting to get to him. The hotter Naruto got the harder it was to keep his concentration. He finally opened his eyes and got up from the ground. His body was a bit stiff and his arm wasn't any better, but he felt great mentally . A huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Things seemed so much clearer to him now and he knew for sure that he wasn't a walking time bomb anymore. Naruto stretched his body making sure not to move his right arm that much. He then made his way under the shade of a large tree. The sanctuary it provided was just what he needed. He removed his forehead protector and wiped the sweat that had collected under it. He unzipped his jacket and placed it on the floor next to him; it was getting hotter by the minute. After wiping the sweat from his brow he wrapped his forehead protector tightly across his forehead once more. Naruto yawned, he was still tired. A gust of summer wind swept across his face and it felt amazing. He made himself comfortable under the cool shade of the tree, but before Naruto could relax any further a familiar chakra signature and scent made themselves present.<p>

"Hey Kakashi sensei," said Naruto lazily.

He slowly raised his head and look up into the intertwining tree branches. Sitting high up on one of the branches, with a book in hand, was Kakashi.

"Sharp as always Naruto," said Kakashi as he closed his book.

He jumped down from the tree branch and landed next to Naruto. He stood there for a few seconds and then finally sat down right next to him.

"So then do you feel more like yourself?"

"You talked to Sakura-chan I see."

"I never said I went to see Sakura. What makes you think I went to see her? For all you know I'm just able to pick up on my former student's feelings is all."

Naruto chuckled at Kakashi's remark.

"Well for starters I doubt you use the same shampoo as she does," said Naruto as he smirked at Kakashi. "You smell like her, so that to me is a for sure sign that you were at her apartment."

Kakashi sighed at his defeat.

"You aren't fun anymore Naruto. I liked it when you believed everything I had to say," sighed Kakashi.

Naruto turned his gaze towards the lush forest ahead of them. He lowered his head slightly and sighed.

"You were holding her weren't you? I never thought I'd see the day when someone would steal a hug from you. It's a shame I wasn't there to see it," said Naruto.

"..."

"Her scent is very strong on you Kakashi-sensei. Even though I wasn't there I can tell how close she was to you. Is she alright?" Asked Naruto.

Part of him was scared what Kakashi would say to him, while another part of him was going mad not knowing. Kakashi turned his glance towards Naruto.

"She's worried about you Naruto. She wanted me to let you know that she's waiting for you at her apartment, and that she's sorry."

"Sakura-chan always worries, and if she's not doing that then she's blaming herself for something that I've done," muttered Naruto.

"She worries because she loves you Naruto. Showing concern for the ones we love is a good thing."

"I know it is Kakashi-sensei but sometimes I feel that I cause her more sorrow and pain then happiness and love. It's just hard to know if what I'm doing is right or wrong. I've been so stressed lately. The Kyuubi's been getting the best of me. I tried to leave last night but Sakura-chan convinced me to stay. I didn't want to, but then again I did. I knew I needed time alone, but I wanted to make her happy. You could say me giving her what she wanted blew up in both our faces last night. I swear I still don't understand relationships and women," said Naruto as he buried his face in his hands.

Kakashi looked at Naruto and sighed placing his hand on Naruto's right shoulder.

"Women are complicated creatures Naruto. There isn't a man on Earth who can say they understand them 100%. Also Relationship aren't meant to be easy, if they were then we would never truly appreciate each other. No matter how old you are relationships and women will always be difficult. Believe me, you aren't the only man in the world who can't understand these two mysteries."

"Is that a quote from one of your books Kakashi-sensei?" Asked Naruto sarcastically.

"No this one is from real experience Naruto. Besides Sakura is pregnant so she'll be more emotional than normal, if you can believe that."

Naruto wasn't surprised by Kakashi's statement; he pulled his head slowly from his hands and looked at his former sensei.

"Did Sakura-chan tell you?"

"No Tsunade-sama's the one that told me. She found it necessary seeing that Sakura can't go on mission as a member of team 7 anymore. We're going to have to borrow another member from an existing team to help us fill in the gap."

"Baa-chan huh? Well I was going to tell you if you didn't already know," said Naruto.

"Well I'm rather honored you'd inform me of something so personal Naruto. I'm very happy for both you and Sakura, you'll make great parents."

Naruto looked down at the grass he was sitting on and laughed nervously.

"You really think so Kakashi-sensei? I have no idea what to do. What am I going to do once it's born? Who's going to take of it if I'm on mission and Sakura is at the hospital? I've never even held a baby let alone taken care of one before, and now I have one on the way. What the hell am I going to do!?" Asked Naruto nervously.

He closed his eyes tightly and slammed one of his fists into the ground. After a few seconds Naruto realized he was getting a little emotional so he calmed his breathing, trying his best to relax. He let out a slow controlled breath which helped him calm his nerves. Before he could open his eyes he felt Kakashi's hand on his head. Surprised he looked up at his former sensei.

"You sound just like your father did when he told me Kushina was pregnant," chuckled Kakashi.

"I do? You mean my dad was nervous?" Asked Naruto.

"Nervous is an understatement Naruto. He may have been the 4th Hokage, but he was also human," answered Kakashi. "The most powerful man in the world can be brought to his knees when he learns he's going to be a father. The way you feel is natural Naruto, but remember things will fall into place. Just take your life one day at a time alright," said Kakashi as he messed up Naruto's hair. He rose up from the floor and stretched.

Naruto looked up at Kakashi in awe. Even though he'd had other masters after Kakashi he was still learning from him. A smile broke across the young Jinchuriki's face.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei, you really brought things into perspective for me. I appreciate your kind words. It's good to hear that my father felt the same way."

"It was my pleasure Naruto. Now we have a mission briefing to get to in the next 15 minutes, so we need to be heading there now," said Kakashi.

"Another mission, but I just got back the other day," whined Naruto.

Kakashi sighed at the lack of enthusiasm in Naruto's voice.

"Calm down, it isn't really a mission, it's more of a task. We won't be leaving Konoha."

"So if we aren't leaving Konoha then what are we doing?"

"You'll find out all the details at the briefing so get up, we need to get going."

Naruto rose from the floor and dusted his knees.

"Oh crap what about Sakura-chan? I need to let her know I'm alright."

"Don't worry I've already taken care of that. I had a hunch you'd be here and once I confirmed you were here I sent Pakkun to let her know you were alright. She'll be waiting at the Hokage tower so let's get moving."

"Nice, I can always count on you Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto as he grabbed his jacket from the floor. He flung it over his shoulder and followed the silver haired jounin.

* * *

><p>Sakura stood in front of the Hokage tower while holding Pakkun tightly in her arms. The heat of the day had made her find refuge under a tall tree. The summers in Konoha were terribly hot; she had no idea how Suna's shinobi's survived their summers. A warm breeze harshly hit Sakura in the face; even the breeze was suffocating. She felt Pakkun wiggle while in her grasp. He inhaled deeply as he sniffed the hot summer air. Suddenly he caught a whiff of his master and Naruto.<p>

"Here they come," said Pakkun as his pointed his paw towards the scent.

Sakura looked in the direction the ninken's paw was pointing towards. She held her breath as she tried to see the two individuals he smelled. She soon saw Kakashi and Naruto come into view; she tightened her grip on Pakkun out of excitement. The tiny dog clenched its teeth as what air he had in his lungs was squeezed out by Sakura.

"Please Sakura watch your strength," pleaded Pakkun.

Sakura loosened her grip on the tiny canines body as she waved at Naruto and Kakashi. She crouched down and placed Pakkun on the floor so he could meet his master. Kakashi bent down to lift Pakkun up from the floor and Naruto took advantage of his former sensei's attention being elsewhere. He swiftly made his move and walked up to Sakura. He rubbed the back of his head and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Look Sakura-chan about this morning…"

Sakura placed her finger on Naruto's lips.

"It's ok Naruto, you don't have to explain yourself. I kinda had a feeling you'd leave this morning," said Sakura as she removed her finger from his lips.

She gently pushed her body up against his. Naruto stiffened at the sudden contact; the simple act of her brushing her body against his made him quiver. He looked down at her beautiful face, her jade eyes fixed on his every emotion. He sighed and pulled her body even closer to him.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan. I just couldn't face you after what happened last night with. I didn't mean to lose it I..."

Before Naruto could finish Sakura silenced him again, only this time with a kiss. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him. She wanted all his worries to melt away with this kiss. She expressed his feelings in her actions as she locked lips with Naruto. She pulled him close while she stretched her body to reach his height. Naruto opened his mouth which allowed her to deepen the kiss. They held one another tightly until Sakura pulled away from Naruto. Passing villages snickered at their public display of affection. Sakura soon realized that she had completely forgotten they were outside and everyone had just seen their kiss. Her face grew a deep shade of pink when she realized they had an audience.

"We'll talk about what happened last night later Naruto. Just know that I have things under control okay," said Sakura as she did her best to cover the fact that she was blushing.

Naruto gave her a confused look; he wasn't too fond of being left in the dark especially with such a sensitive situation. Before he could ask more questions Kakashi walked up to them and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but we don't want to be late for our briefing."

"Kakashi-sensei is right, we better get going," said Sakura nervously.

Naruto on the other hand hadn't said anything. Sakura looked up to him to see a devious grin on his face.

"Oh no we wouldn't want something like that to happen now would we? I mean I would never dream of Kakashi-sensei being late for something," teased Naruto.

Kakashi sighed at Naruto's comment.

"Being late is overrated Naruto. Everything is based on time, and we all know that in reality time doesn't exists. Time is something people never have enough of. Everyone always complains that they can never accomplish all their tasks because time doesn't allow it. I on the other hand will do everything I'm supposed to do, and if I get side tracked by another job I'll take it. Even if it makes me late for something else, so in theory I have all the time in the world since I don't let time constrict my life," said Kakashi.

Pakkun wiggled on Kakashi's shoulder and sighed heavily.

"The kid does have a point Kakashi, you'd be late to you own funeral," said Pakkun.

Naruto burst into laughter at the ninken's comment. Sakura covered her mouth, she thought it was hilarious, but she felt bad for her former sensei. As much as she tried to suppress her laughter a tiny giggle seeped from her clasped hands. Kakashi sighed and lowered his head in defeat.

"Honestly did you two even hear a word I just said?"

"Yes they heard you but they aren't listening," chuckled Pakkun.

"And you're one to talk, you should be on my side!" Complained Kakashi as he pointed his finger to the ninken resting on his shoulder.

"I'm just agreeing with Naruto. I mean he does make a valid point Kakashi."

Kakashi rubbed both his temples out of frustration.

"You really test me sometimes you know that Pakkun. Just keep quiet and listen at the briefing I'm going to need you and the rest of the ninken tonight, got that."

"Sure thing Kakashi you got it, but we better get going those love birds have a head start."

Kakashi turned to look at his former students. There were no longer there, they had started making their way into Hokage Tower.

"Would you look at that, they just up and left me. What happened to the days where they would listen to my every word?" Asked Kakashi.

"I ask myself the same thing when I'm dealing with you," answered Pakkun.

Kakashi looked surprised at his canine companions remark; after a few seconds he smiled.

"Fair enough Pakkun, you got me there."

With that said Kakashi slowly followed Sakura and Naruto into Hokage Tower.

* * *

><p>Naruto opened the door and held it open for both Sakura and Kakashi. Once they were inside he followed them and closed the door behind him. Upon entering he saw Sai and Ino standing in front of Tsunade's desk.<p>

"So the rest of Team 7 is here, and on time too I see," said Tsunade.

Naruto along with Kakashi and Sakura stood next to Sai and Ino. They all faced Tsunade's desk waiting for her to speak. She folded her hands and rested her chin on them; she looked at the shinobi before her and decided it was time to inform them of their mission.

"We have a rather peculiar problem on our hands that needs to be addressed. Many civilians from almost every major country have con astray. Most of the disappearances are in Kumogakure. Suna and Konoha haven't been affected as of yet, and for that we are lucky, however the Raikage isn't please about this. He just finished losing some high ranked shinobi that he sent to search for his missing villagers. Now he's starting to think that Konoha and Suna are somehow responsible. So in order to show our innocence and genuine concern both myself, and the Kazekage, have sent teams to the other countries to help search for these missing individuals," said Tsunade.

"So you've sent teams from here to help out then?" Asked Naruto.

"Yes, I've sent Team Guy to Iwagakure and Team Kurenai to Kumogakure. Kiba's nose should greatly help the Raikage's shinobi find the whereabouts of the team he recently lost."

Naruto's face contorted into a scowl at the sound of Kiba's name. His actions from last night were still fresh and vivid in Naruto's mind. Just because he had made peace with himself didn't mean he'd forgiven Kiba. What he had done was unforgivable and part of him had wished he would have torn him to shreds. If Hinata hadn't gotten in the way he would have been successful. Naruto clenched his teeth in frustration. Suddenly he was snapped out of his thoughts of disemboweling Kiba when Sai walked toward Tsunade's desk.

"Excuse me Tsunade-sama but couldn't these missing civilians be the victims of the growing number of rouge shinobi?"

Tsunade looked at the pale root member and nodded her head.

"We do believe that rouge shinobi may be linked to these abductions, especially with the recent disappearance of the Raikage's search party. However it wouldn't make much sense for them to be kidnapping civilians."

"Well are these people important figures in society? Perhaps someone that could be held for ransom?" Asked Ino.

"No the victim's families never received any ransom notes, so money isn't a factor. The people that have been reported missing are just regular civilians. None of them come from high ranking families."

Naruto's anger from before was disappearing from this sudden turn of events. He turned his head from side to side looking at his comrades and then to Tsunade. His blood always got pumping when he knew he was going on a good mission.

"So what do you want us to do Baa-chan?" Asked Naruto in anticipation.

"Simple I'm appointing Team Kakashi to border patrol."

Naruto's heart sank, he had forgotten that Kakashi had told him they wouldn't be leaving Konoha.

"Border patrol?!" Snapped Naruto making Sakura jump from his sudden burst of annoyance.

"Yes border patrol Naruto. We need to make sure that our villagers remain safe from this unknown threat. I'll be enforcing a mandatory curfew for the entire village. Of course this won't apply to shinobi."

"But border patrol isn't anything great. Why couldn't you have just sent us out to help the other villages like Guy and Kurenai's team?"

Tsunade gave Naruto a warning glare.

"As Konoha's Jinchuriki you need to stay here. In doing so you stay out of trouble, and at the same time you can help protect the village."

"But Border patrol of all things! Our team is well above such mediocre work, we should be out there where the action is! This is utter bullshit Baa-chan why…"

Tsunade didn't give Naruto a chance to continue his ranting. She slammed her hand on her desk and leaned forward.

"Enough Naruto!" Yelled Tsunade. "We have no idea what we are dealing with. I can't afford to have you out there when we're totally blind at what the enemies wants. You need to settle down and accept what I've assigned your team do to. Just because it isn't what you want doesn't mean you have the authority to just slack off and do a shitty job. It's time to man up and stop being so head strong, you have to think about Sakura and you child now so shape up!"

Sakura's eyes widen and Ino covered her mouth at Tsunade's harsh words. Naruto lowered his head; he slowly backed away from Tsunade's desk. He felt his face burn up from embarrassment. Tsunade was right he hadn't thought about Sakura or the baby. He was just concerned about being in the fray of a mission, he was being selfish. Tsunade look Naruto over, she could tell that her scolding at really hit him hard. She sighed heavily as she looked at the rest of Team 7.

"I'm appointing Ino to replace Sakura on this mission. She'll make an excellent replacement. She's a medic, and her mind transfer techniques are wonderful for interrogating any trespassers you may come across. Hopefully that doesn't happen during your patrolling. Now you'll be taking the graveyard shift which starts at midnight. You'll report back here at 7:00am when the next team relieves you, is that clear?

"Yes ma'am," said everyone in unison.

"Good, you'll be appointed to border patrol until I tell you otherwise, you're all dismissed," said Tsunade as she waved her hand motioning Team Kakashi to leave.

Everyone turned around and made their way out of the office.

"Sakura, Naruto, you two stay," ordered Tsunade.

Sakura obeyed and walked back to her master's desk. Naruto on the other hand took longer to respond. He finally turned around slowly and sulked back to Tsunade's desk; his ego was broken from her lecture. He slowly looked up and his cerulean blue eyes met with Tsunade's amber orbs. Her look was piercing and unwavering; he felt like a fool, he owed her an apology.

"Baa-chan I'm sorry about.."

"That's enough Naruto. Your heart was in the right place. You just need to get your priorities in order. Sakura's well being is your number one priority, do I make myself clear?" Asked Tsunade.

"Yes ma'am," replied Naruto softly.

He felt Sakura slip her hand into his and gave it a soft squeeze. He looked at her and she gave him a warm smile. Sakura then looked back at Tsunade wondering what she had to tell them.

"Now Sakura Shizune is finally back on her feet from that awful head cold she had. She's waiting for you at the maternity clinic. I wanted to be the one to first exam you but with all this nonsense going on I have to meet with the council," said Tsunade as she rolled her eyes.

It was no secret to anyone that Tsunade wasn't one for the lectures and complaints she got whenever she met with the village council. It was her least favorite task as Hokage; she hated it with a passion.

"So then you should get going, you don't want to keep Shizune waiting too long. Oh and Naruto I'll be seeing you in the morning," said Tsunade.

"Yeah Baa-chan, see you at 7:00am," said Naruto nervously.

Sakura grabbed Naruto's right arm and led him out of her master's office. Naruto held in a scream of pain and did his best to act normal as Sakura pulled his mangled arm.

"Come on Naruto lets get moving, we need to see Shizune-san!"

"What for?" Asked Naruto as he did his best to keep up with Sakura.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's confusion.

"To see the baby silly!"


	12. Chapter 12: Realization

*** I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Sakura was beyond excited, she held Naruto's arm tightly as she continued to drag him down the hall. Naruto did his best to keep up with her; it was awkward running behind her as she pulled on his mangled arm. Even though the pain was excruciating he was more concerned with what she had said a few seconds ago.<p>

"So we're heading over to see Shizune for the baby right?" Asked Naruto nervously.

Sakura slowed her pace and loosened her grip on his arm. She turned her head and looked at Naruto's face; there was something about him that wasn't right.

"Are you feeling alright Naruto? You're acting kind of strange," said Sakura.

She let go of his arm completely so she could touch his cheek when she noticed Naruto's body relax. She looked down at his arm and saw that it hung limply by his side. Naruto tried his best to act normal but for some reason he was still in a lot of pain. Sakura yanking on it hadn't helped its condition.

"Naruto what's going on here?" Asked Sakura.

Naruto gave her a nervous smile and turn his ride side away from her.

"It's nothing Sakura-chan, I'm fine so let's get going," said Naruto.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto's pathetic attempt to lie to her.

"It's nothing huh, now how many times have I heard that one. Let me see your arm Naruto."

"No Sakura-chan honestly it's…"

"Now!" Demanded Sakura.

Naruto winced at Sakura's remark and he quickly gave in. If he didn't show her his arm he risked getting something else broken. He slowly lifted his right arm and showed it to Sakura. She grabbed his arm gently with one hand while her other hand slowly lifted his sleeve. Her eyes widen when she saw the condition his arm was in. It was hot to the touch and swollen. He also had a lot of bruising along his wrist and parts of his arm. She looked around the hallway and saw a bench not far from where they were.

"Come on Naruto lets go sit down."

They both made their way to the nearby bench and sat down. Sakura gently placed Naruto's arm on her lap. She began to examine his injuries more thoroughly. She emitted warm green chakra into her palms and started healing his battered arm; she looked up at him with worried eyes.

"What in the world did you do to yourself Naruto? I thought you went out to meditate, not train!"

"I was meditating this is from last night Sakura-chan."

"You've had this since last night?! I don't remember you being hurt at all. When did you managed to do this behind my back?"

"It's from suppressing the Kyuubi Sakura-chan. I had to use the key on my arm in order to put him in its place. If I wouldn't of done that then.." Naruto's voice faded off.

Sakura had a quick flashback from the night before. She remembered Naruto screaming and slamming his arm on the seal on his stomach. The image of him with steam coming off his seal was etched into her mind. Naruto hadn't finished his sentence nor did it seem he was going too. He didn't have to finish, Sakura knew what he was getting at. Her mother was in real danger last night, and thanks to Naruto's quick thinking no harm came to her. Sakura looked over at Naruto for a moment and noticed he was watching her work on his arm. She couldn't help but smile at him.

"You're something else Uzumaki Naruto you know that? You never think about yourself. You're always concerned with protecting others that you forget to protect yourself. That's why I worry so much."

Naruto looked at Sakura as she focused her attention on healing him once more.

"I can care less what happens to me, your safety is all that matters," said Naruto.

Sakura sighed as she looked at the aftermath of their night of passion.

"Did you know this was going to happen to your arm?"

"Yeah but I really wasn't focusing on that when I summoned my tori seal. Honestly I didn't think it was going to be this bad. I've never seen the Kyuubi so mad at me before, it was hard to get him to settle down. So what's the damage?"

"Well your wrist is broken, and you've torn a few muscles, but something doesn't seem right."

"What do you mean?"

"Wait this can't be right," whispered Sakura.

"What's wrong Sakura-chan?"

"Why hadn't I noticed this sooner? This happened to you last night and you haven't healed one bit. I've never seen you heal so slow."

"So he wants to play games huh," said Naruto calmly.

"Wait you know what's going on?"

"Of course I do, it's the Kyuubi, he's refusing to heal me."

"What!?" Gasped Sakura.

"Yeah I knew he was mad but I never thought he take it this far."

"He's punishing you by not healing you?! How could he do something like that! He's a part of you isn't he?"

"Well yeah."

"So isn't he just hurting himself as well?"

"Technically yes, but then again no."

"That makes no sense Naruto! I swear I don't understand the relationship you have with that fox!" Huffed Sakura.

"It's alright Sakura-chan. He won't be mad forever, besides I have you to heal me."

Sakura couldn't believe Naruto was taking this so well. It scared her to know that his rapid healing ability wasn't there, he was actually a normal human now. Sakura knew this had to stop, and there was only one way to do that. She quickly grabbed Naruto's face and brought him closer to her. She stopped once Naruto's nose touched hers.

"Now you listen to me Kyuubi, you need to stop being so cruel and heal Naruto! What you're doing isn't right and it isn't fair to him, or to me," said Sakura as she started into Naruto's ocean blue eyes.

She did her best to look past her boyfriend's gaze; she looked closely for some sign of the creature inside him. Naruto looked into Sakura's jade eyes. Never in all his life had someone attempted to talk to the Kyuubi. In reality it was possible for others to talk to the fox demon since he saw and heard everything that Naruto did but no one had ever done that. Sakura's eyes began to swell up with tears; Naruto cupped her face with his good hand and rubbed her wet cheek.

"It's alright Sakura-chan, please don't cry, you know how much it hurts me to see you in tears. The Kyuubi is thick headed and stubborn, just like me, but he'll come around soon enough."

"I'm sorry Naruto. It's my fault this happened to you."

"Why would you say that Sakura-chan?"

"Because it's the truth Naruto. If I would have listened to you last night this would have never happened. You warned me you weren't stable, but I didn't listen. Instead I was selfish and now you're the one paying for my mistake," cried Sakura.

"Sakura-chan I wanted to stay, you didn't force me. I could have just ignored your advances and left, but I didn't, I couldn't."

"I know Naruto, I couldn't stop myself either."

The two of them looked at one another and Sakura blushed. That night they shared was amazing.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you that I really enjoyed myself last night," said Sakura.

"I did too Sakura-chan."

"It was perfect, even though it ended abruptly."

"Oh yeah, that," said Naruto nervously.

"I'm so sorry about my mother Naruto. I never thought something like that would ever happen."

"Yeah I don't really remember much. I didn't do anything bad right?"

"No you behaved. You just really scared my mom."

"Yeah well she scares me."

"You don't have to worry about her anymore Naruto. She and I really talked after you passed out."

"So what did she say?"

"It looks like she wants to get to know you. She wants to give you a chance."

"Really?"

"Yes and she's also very excited about being a grandmother."

"So that's all it took?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you two just talking things through."

"Well I confessed a great deal to her Naruto. She really wasn't aware about everything that happened with Sasuke-kun. I think that's why she and I hit a brick wall in our relationship. I never shared my life as a kunoichi with her. Thanks to that she really had no clue who I was. I could have handle everything better if I wasn't so stubborn."

"It's alright Sakura-chan, I'm just glad you two were able to patch things up. It's nice to know that your mom isn't out for my blood now."

"I know what you mean," said Sakura she slowly examined his arm one more time.

"Well I guess it's a good thing that the Kyuubi hasn't healed you. Your wrist would have healed wrong, and that would of have problematic."

"Why?"

"I'd have to re-break your wrist in order to set it right."

"Ouch, you're right, that would have been problematic."

"Yeah but you're lucky, I was able to put everything back in place. Now I've healed your broken wrist and torn muscles Naruto, but it's still very fragile. Technically speaking you're just a regular human with a buster arm. You'll probably be in much more pain than you're use to, so please take it easy."

"I will Sakura-chan."

"You know maybe you shouldn't go out tonight. We're still close to Tsunade-sama's office. All we need to do is show her your arm and you won't have to report for border patrol tonight," said Sakura.

"No I'm going tonight, this is nothing. I've been on far more dangerous missions with worse injuries. I refuse to sit out on such a simple task."

Sakura shook her head as she let out a low sigh. There was no use in trying to get him to stay. All she'd be doing is getting herself in argument she couldn't win.

"Alright Naruto but please I'm begging you don't use this arm tonight when you're on patrol ok. I know you're right handed but please be careful, I don't want you to make it worse. Also if you insist on going you're telling Kakashi-sensei that you're hurt. We can't hide this from the rest of the team ok?"

"Fair enough Sakura-chan. I'll tell Kakashi-sensei about my arm."

"Good, now I've done what I can for now. I don't have any other tools to finish the job. We'll head over to your place later so I can wrap your arm, give you some painkillers, and put a cold compresses on it."

"Thanks Sakura-chan. My arm feels better already," said Naruto as he pulled his jacket sleeve over his arm.

He stood up and offered Sakura some help with his good arm; she took it and rose from the bench.

"Well I guess we better be heading to my appointment. I don't want to keep Shizune-san waiting," said Sakura as she took Naruto's hand into hers.

Together the two love birds made their way to the maternity clinic to meet their child.

* * *

><p>Sakura opened the door to the maternity clinic and made her way inside with Naruto right behind her. The waiting room was small and its only occupants were two young pregnant women. Sakura made her way to the front desk to let them know she had arrived to see Shizune. Naruto walked in and found a empty seat. He sat down and yawned as he stretched. The two women in the waiting room looked at him with sudden interest. They recognized him right away; then again everyone in Konoha knew who Naruto was. Naruto looked over at the women, he didn't mind the attention but when he faced times like this he wished he was a normal person. Sakura soon joined him with some paperwork and clipboard in hand.<p>

"Okay well let's see, I need to fill all this stuff out, and then we'll be next after these two ladies," whispered Sakura.

"Alright so what do you have to fill out?" Asked Naruto as he peered at the paperwork Sakura had on her lap.

"New patient information. I'm no different than anyone else so this has to be done," said Sakura as she looked over at the questionnaire she held.

Naruto looked at everything Sakura had to fill out, it looked like a lot. Naruto shuddered at the thought of paper work, like Tsunade he couldn't stand it. He leaned back in his chair while Sakura go busy filling all her forms out. The two pregnant women were still eying the young couple only this time they were busy talking and about them. Naruto frowned; this was getting a little annoying. He slowly leaned towards his girlfriend's ear and whispered to her.

"Hey those ladies are having a great time talking about us, have you noticed them?" Asked Naruto.

"Oh that's nothing Naruto you should have seen the looks I was getting when I was walking to Hokage Tower. We're the talk of the town it seems," said Sakura as she filled out her information.

"What the hell are you talking about? Does all of Konoha know?" Asked Naruto nervously.

"It's looking that way. My mom rushed over to my place last night because Kiba's mother told her I was pregnant. It seems my mom wasn't the only person she told," whispered Sakura.

Naruto couldn't believe what he had just heard. A great deal of people knew about Sakura being pregnant. Their personal lives were the talk of the village, and all because of Kiba's actions.

"I can't believe that spineless mutt told his mother. Everyone knows she loves to talk and now because of her gossiping all of fucking Konoha knows," said Naruto.

"I know, at first I had no idea why everyone in the village was looking at me and whispering as I passed by. Pakkun told me everything the villagers were saying about me."

"They were talking about you? What were the villagers saying Sakura-chan?"

"Nothing don't worry about it Naruto," answered Sakura.

"What do you mean it's nothing? I want to know what they were saying."

"No Naruto it isn't important, just let it go."

"Stop Sakura-chan!" Yelled Naruto.

The two women across the room jumped; they were clearly startled at Naruto's sudden burst of anger. Sakura turned to Naruto quickly; she too was surprised by his sudden change in behavior. He looked at the women across the room and then at Sakura. He leaned back into his chair and relaxed.

"I'm sorry," whispered Naruto. "It just pisses me off knowing that people are talking bad about you."

"I never said they were saying mean things about me," reassured Sakura.

"Then why aren't you telling me what Pakkun heard? I'm not as dumb as I look Sakura-chan, I know you're hiding something."

"Naruto I know you aren't dumb.."

"Then just tell me the truth."

Sakura knew Naruto wasn't going to let this go. She put her pen down and turned her body towards his.

"It wasn't all bad Naruto. There are lots of people in the village that are happy for us. However there are those that say I'm just a harlot who wanted to get knocked up by the town hero, but ask me if I care Naruto."

Naruto looked at his girlfriend not sure where she was going with this.

"Ask me Naruto," pleaded Sakura.

"Do you care?" Asked Naruto quietly.

"No I don't. I could care less what anyone has to say. I'm happy, and so are you, that's what's really important. Stranger's opinions about us aren't worth stressing over," said Sakura as she placed her hand on Naruto's knee. She rubbed it softly reassuring him she then picked up her pen and got back to her paperwork.

"I guess you're right Sakura-chan. Honestly sometimes I wish I could be as level headed as you."

"Just like I wish I was strong willed like you," replied Sakura.

Naruto smiled as he leaned into his chair. He hadn't slept as much as he wanted too. Plus dealing with this annoying pain was sapping most of his energy.

"Well I'm resting my eyes, let me know when you're done," said Naruto as he made himself as comfortable as he could in the plastic waiting room chair.

He leaned towards Sakura and closed his eyes.

"Just resting your eyes huh, fine but I swear Naruto if you start to snore I'm letting you have it," warned Sakura as she waved her pen at her boyfriend's face.

Naruto already had his eyes closed so he couldn't see his girlfriend's warning, but he could hear it in her voice.

"I won't fall asleep Sakura-chan," yawned Naruto.

Sakura sighed and flipped her paperwork to the next sheet as she continued the onslaught of questions. As she filled in her answers one of the pregnant women was called to the back room leaving one person ahead of Sakura. After a few minutes of describing her medical history Sakura was done. She looked over to Naruto only to find him drooling on his jacket; she heard him lightly snoring. She had to admit he looked adorable. She stood up to turn in her paperwork. As she handed her mounds of information to the receptionist the last women was called to the back. Sakura sat back down and began to grow impatient and nervous. She looked over at her sleeping boyfriend and nudged him gently. He slowly opened his eyes and sluggishly looked at Sakura.

"Is it over?" Asked Naruto.

"We haven't even been called in yet Naruto, but I'm next. You might have to stay out here when they call me in."

Naruto looked as if someone had poured ice cold water all over his body. His body stiffened and his eyes widen at the fact that Sakura was next.

"I have to wait out here?" Asked Naruto.

Sakura could see that Naruto was nervous; she gave him a warm smile and nodded her head.

"First they take my vitals and ask me some questions. They'll call you once I get a room."

Just then the door opened and a young nurse holding a clipboard stepped out.

"Haruno Sakura?"

"Yes ma'am," answered Sakura.

She rose from her seat and followed the young lady to the back room. Sakura turned around and waved at Naruto. "

"I'll see you in a bit ok," said Sakura as she disappeared behind the door.

Naruto sat alone with nothing to do. He looked around the small waiting room for something to keep him entertained. There was material to read on a table in front of him, but it was aimed at women. Naruto sighed when he knew he had no choice, he decided beggars can't be choosers. He picked a magazine at random and flipped through its pages. Every few minutes he would open and close his hand and rotate his wrist to keep it from getting too stiff while he used his other hand to flip the pages of the magazine.

He calmed his thoughts hoping that the Kyuubi would say something, but he heard nothing. Suddenly the door to the back room opened and Naruto jumped. One of the young pregnant women came out and went to the front desk. She leaned on the desk and talked to the receptionist who was setting up her next appointment. Naruto looked the young lady over and noticed her huge belly. She rubbed it gently as she made small talk with the receptionist. Naruto pictured Sakura like that in his head; it was surreal knowing that she would be looking like that sooner than later. The young woman got her appointment, and said her goodbyes.

Naruto quickly brought the magazine close to his face. He was doing his best to look interested in what he was reading. The young women paused in front of Naruto and giggled.

"Your girlfriend is very lucky to have someone like you. It isn't often that we women find a man who's in touch with his feelings and feminine side," giggled the young women.

She waved goodbye and left the clinic; Naruto blushed as she left. He quickly closed the magazine and read the cover.

"It isn't all about sex, how to get your man to commit," read Naruto.

His blush deepened and he tossed the magazine at the table in front of him; it landed softly on top of the rest of the reading material. He leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"Stupid magazine," muttered Naruto.

Suddenly he heard the sound of the back office door opening. He leaned forward as the same nurse walked into the waiting room.

"Naruto, your girlfriend is ready for you, please follow me," said the nurse.

Naruto stood up and slowly walked towards her. His legs were wobbly; he swore they felt like ramen noodles. He followed the nurse through the door and was greeted by a small hallway with several doors on each side.

"Haruno Sakura is in room 3," said the young women as she pointed down the hallway. "It's going to be on your left hand side."

Naruto gulped and nodded his head at the nurse. He made his way down the hall; it seemed to go on forever. He stopped at room 3 and took a deep breath as he opened the door. He walked in to find Sakura wearing a hospital gown. She was sitting on an examining table, her long legs dangled and swung back and forth. She looked nervous but her face brighten when she saw Naruto looking at her.

"Naruto thank goodness you're here," said Sakura. "I was starting to get really nervous being in here all alone waiting for Shizune-san to get back."

"You already saw her then?" Asked Naruto.

"Yeah but it was for my physical, she left to go check on another patient real quick."

Naruto took a seat on a chair that was right next to the table Sakura was propped up on. He gently folded both his arms and looked at his girlfriend. He gave her a nervous smile; his heart was racing incredibly fast.

"How's your arm feeling?" Asked Sakura.

"Better for the most part but I'm still in pain."

"Like I said before I'll fix you up better when we get to your place."

Before Naruto could answer Shizune walked into the room looking over Sakura's file. Naruto noticed she looked far better than the last time he had seen her. She had color in her cheeks and her skin looked warm and full of vigor. He had to admit her overall appearance had improved drastically. Shizune looked up from all the paperwork and smiled.

"Hello Naruto thanks for joining us," said Shizune. "Sorry for my little disappearance, one of the main doctors called in sick and Tsunade-sama had me fill in. I normally don't work in the maternity clinic, but I know Tsunade-sama wanted me to do this since she couldn't," said Shizune as she sat down on a small chair with wheels.

"It's ok Shizune-san I understand," said Sakura.

"So Sakura what symptoms have you been having?"

"Just morning sickness really, but my breasts are a little tender in the mornings."

"That's normal, so is dizziness, shortness of breath, and feeling exhausted for no reason. Best advice I can give you is to listen to what your body is telling you. If you're tired sleep, if you're dizzy and you noticed shortness of breath, relax and stop what you're doing. If you run into anything like abdominal pain or bleeding then let me or Tsunade-sama know ASAP," said Shizune.

"Of course," replied Sakura.

"Now there's one other thing Tsunade- sama wanted me to let you both know. We don't know how long your pregnancy will be Sakura. The Kyuubi has been involved in only two other pregnancies. Uzumaki Mito's, and Uzumaki Kushina's. Now these two were the previous Jinchuriki of Konoha, Naruto is the only male Uzumaki to carry the Kyuubi. We have no idea how this pregnancy will differ since the father is a Jinchuriki and not the other way around. The only difference we saw is that both former Jinchuriki's pregnancy's' were ten months instead of nine. This could be the same in your case or it can be shorter, we just don't know. This factor added with your young age has lead Tsunade-sama to categorized you as high risk pregnancy," said Shizune.

"High risk what does that mean?" Asked Naruto with concern in his voice.

"It isn't anything to worry about Naruto," reassured Shizune. "All it means is that we will be keeping an eye on Sakura more than usual. She'll have to cut back on her physical activities and perhaps may need more bed rest when she enters her last trimester. However it isn't anything to worry about."

"Well that's good to know," said Naruto.

"Alright then let's wrap this up shall we?" Asked Shizune as she put her paperwork down.

"Lay back for me Sakura."

Sakura did as she was told and rested her body on the examining table. Naruto stood up and joined Sakura at her side. Shizune placed a white sheet across Sakura's stomach. She pulled Sakura's gown up exposing her flat tummy.

"This is going to be cold so prepare yourself," warned Shizune as she squirted a blue gel over Sakura's belly. Naruto felt Sakura's body tense as the cool gel hit her body. Shizune pulled a large machine next to her and removed a wand like tool that was hanging off the side. She flipped the machine on and waited a few seconds. A small screen flicked on but all that could be seen was static. Shizune placed the wand softly on Sakura's stomach and moved it side to side as if she was looking for something. Naruto concentrated on Shizune's every move. Suddenly she smiled and pointed at the screen on the machine.

"There it is you two."

Naruto looked up at the screen; he had no idea what he was looking at. All that static made no sense to him. He leaned over Sakura for a better look.

"That's your baby right there," said Shizune as she pointed to a small shape on the monitor.

Naruto blinked and looked at the object Shizune was pointing too.

"That's really it?" Asked Naruto. "It so small, it doesn't even look much like a baby."

"Sakura is only about 11 weeks pregnant Naruto so your little one is just starting to develop. Oh but here's something that you'll recognize right away," said Shizune.

She pointed at a small flickering spot on the screen that was pulsating.

"Do you see that?"

Naruto looked at the movement and tilted his head trying to figure out what he was looking at. Sakura on the other hand gasped and reached for the screen.

"It's our baby's heart beating."

Naruto's eyes widen as he made a double take at the image before him. He looked down at Sakura to see her reaction. Tears started to form in her eyes as she looked up at the small image that was their child. Shizune smiled and pressed a button.

"Not only can you see the heart beating, you can also hear it."

The next thing Naruto heard was a muffled thumping sound; it was fast and rhythmic. Sakura squeezed the fabric of his jacket sleeve as she began to cry softly. Naruto was shocked to say the least. He felt his own heart pound against his chest as he heard his child's heart beat echo in his ears. At that moment nothing mattered, not the pain in his arm, or his friends who had left Konoha to assist neighboring villages, nor the threat that was looming over his own village. All he could think of was that he was listening to someone he had created with the women he loved. When Sakura had first told him she was pregnant it hadn't really hit him that he was going to be someone's father. Now that he was listening to his unborn child's heartbeat with his own ears the realization hit him hard

Thought Naruto as tears of joy rolled down his whiskered face.

* * *

><p>The sound of a beeping alarm clock woke Naruto up abruptly. He leaned over in bed and quickly turned off his alarm clock. He winced and looked down at his girlfriend's sleeping form. His moving and loud alarm hadn't even fazed her; she remained sound asleep next to him. Naruto let out a sigh of relief and slowly slipped out of bed. He wore only his pants since he was going to have to wake up and get ready for his graveyard shift. He stood up and stretched letting out a long drawn out yawn. He scratched his head and went to the bathroom. He flipped the light switch on and let his eyes get use to the sudden surge of light. His eyes ached for a few seconds but once they adjusted to the brightness of the fluorescent light he continued to get ready.<p>

He turned on the faucet in the sink and bent over it so he could wash his face. He splashed himself with cold water to help him wake up. He grabbed a clean towel and dried himself with his left hand. His right arm was tightly bound with an elastic bandage Sakura had wrapped for him. She had looked him over again as soon as they had gotten to Naruto's apartment. She had him put a cold compresses on his injury for a few minutes every couple of hours. The swelling had gone down quite a bit, and he was able to move it around a lot better with less pain. He was fine with that; he knew he'd be alright tonight.

Naruto continued to get dressed as quietly as he could so he wouldn't wake Sakura. Once he was fully dressed he made sure he had his equipment stored for the night. He gently sat down on his bed and wrapped his fully loaded shuriken holster around his right leg. He strapped his spring loaded wire to his right arm. He played with it as he secured a new kunai in it. He flexed his arm and the kunai shot out from his sleeve. He caught it and moved his right arm and wrist around making sure he was comfortable with the spring wire staying on that arm. It worked fine, aside from a little pain, but he could deal with that easily.

He got his knapsack and made sure it was packed with everything he needed for the night. He threw in a few energy bars just in case he got hungry. He also made sure he had a few more kunai's, throwing knifes, and smoke bombs. He closed his knapsack and secured it to his back pocket.

He went to the kitchen and pulled out some oshiruko Sakura had made for him earlier in the day. He pulled out some kagami mochi she had chopped up for him and placed it in his toaster oven. He heated up his soup and tossed in his toasted mochi. He wasn't planning on eating, but Sakura insisted. She even went out of her way and made him one of his favorite dishes. He sat down and ate his food quietly. He heard Sakura move around in bed. He leaned over the kitchen table to get a better look inside his bedroom. She was still sound asleep. Part of him just wished he could crawl back into bed with her but he knew he couldn't. He finished up his meal and placed his dishes in the sink. He went over to his bedroom and looked at Sakura. He grabbed a small piece of paper and his forehead protector. He placed the paper safety inside his forehead protector and wrapped it around his head. He leaned over Sakura and kissed her cheek.

"I'll see you in the morning Sakura-chan, I love you both," whispered Naruto.

He made his way out of his apartment and headed towards the front gates for what he hoped would be an interesting night.


	13. Chapter 13: Intrusion

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>The night air was cool and silent as Naruto ran through the empty streets of Konoha. Tonight's weather was a special treat since the nights in Konoha were usually as hot as the days were. Naruto could see the village gates come into view so he picked up his speed. He arrived to find Ino and Sai standing side by side as they waited for the rest of Team 7.<p>

"Hey guys," said Naruto.

"Hey Naruto!" Chirped Ino.

"Hello Naruto-kun," replied Sai.

All three of them huddled near each other as they waited for their team captain.

"Have you guys been waiting long?" Asked Naruto.

"No I haven't been here that long, but Sai was here first," said Ino as she tilted her head towards Sai.

Naruto looked at his pale friend and smirked.

"How long have you been here Sai?"

"For about ten minutes in total. I'd only been waiting five minutes before Ino arrived. Now that I've been a member of Team 7 for some time I've learned Kakashi's habits. Being on time isn't something he's known for, so I figured there was no point in getting here early."

Naruto was speechless, that was actually a normal answer. Sai was usually always on time, or he'd make sure he was early if anything, but to hear him say he saw no point in being punctual was mind blowing.

"Are you finally starting to become more human Sai?" Asked Naruto as he playfully shoved his friends shoulder.

"Yes well I'm working on becoming a more laidback individual, so I'm trying to go with the flow. Is that what they call it?" Asked Sai innocently. "I'm certain it is, at least that's what I remember reading."

Naruto slammed his hand into his face and dragged it down slowly.

"How could I think you'd ever change Sai," muttered Naruto.

Ino giggled at her two teammates. Naruto turned towards her and cleared his throat.

"So Ino your team was the only one that wasn't sent out as a search party right?"

"Well sort of, you see Shikamaru is the ambassador for Konoha when Suna is involved. So he's staying here helping Tsunade-sama with relations between both villages. Chouji was sent on a mission with his dad and of course I was chosen to help Team 7."

"I see, to tell you the truth I'm glad you're on our team. You're a great medic."

"That's really sweet Naruto," said Ino as she drew closer towards him.

She got close enough that she brushed up against his arm.

"Listen Naruto, I'm really sorry about last night. I feel just horrible. I mean I'm partly responsible since I was the host of the party," said Ino quietly.

Naruto turned to look at her; he was rather surprised that she would feel responsible for last night's drama.

"You have nothing to apologize for Ino, really. Everything that happened last night was not your fault. Beside Kiba and I have been on each other's nerves for a while now. He's been a walking time bomb since we got back from our last mission, and so have I. So it's alright, your party didn't cause him to snap, he was already on the path to begin with. My only regret is that Sakura-chan got hurt. Kiba's fucking lucky he was sent out on a mission. Hinata won't be able to save him the next time I see him," growled Naruto.

Ino cleared her throat at Naruto's comment.

"It's funny that you mention Kiba getting what's coming to him."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well after you left Shikamaru ran after Kiba, he wouldn't let me or anyone else go with him. I wasn't there to see what happened but all I know is that Kiba left the village early this morning with a black eye."

Naruto's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"Shikamaru decked Kiba Ino?!"

"He sure did, he was really pissed off Naruto. I rarely see him like that. He's usually very calm, and reserved, you know that."

Naruto stood silent as he tried to process Ino's words. He couldn't believe that Shikamaru of all people would do something so reckless. Behavior like that was natural coming from him, he was the one who was known for being reckless. However Shikamaru was the responsible one, he was the level headed shinobi who never did anything without a reason or plan.

"Why are you surprised by Shikamaru's actions Naruto-kun?" Asked Sai. "After all he is only human."

"..."

"It is true that his mannerisms and personality don't fit his reasoning for last night, but he was upset. Someone hurt one of his friends so he wanted to follow his impulse feelings."

Ino's eyes widen upon hearing Sai's explanation. Naruto simply smirked at Sai; every so often he had his moments, even though he was known for being eccentric and socially challenged.

"You're right Sai, Shikamaru was thinking about Naruto. He did what Naruto couldn't do at the time," said Ino as she looked at the floor. "I on the other hand just wanted to get the details on what happened when Sakura got home, man I feel like a shitty friend," said Ino quietly.

Naruto wrapped his arm around Ino and brought her close to his side.

"You aren't a shitty friend Ino. I know Sakura holds your friendship close to her heart. You are best friends after all."

"Naruto.."

"Women's friendships are just different than guys friendships. See women are all about being caring, and listening to each others troubles. So you wanting to talk to Sakura right away wasn't bad, you were just showing your concern for her. Communicating is the cornerstone to female bonding and relationships. Where men are all about performing actions before words," said Naruto.

Ino blinked and stared blankly at the him.

"Wow that really made a lot of sense Naruto. Where did you learn that from?" Asked Ino.

Naruto grinned at his teammates reaction.

"I'll have you know that I actually read it in a magazine today," answered Naruto proudly.

"You actually read something?" Giggled Ino.

"Yeah I did believe it or not," said Naruto as he scratched the back of his head. "Now it wasn't something I'd normally read, but it looks like what I learned came in handy helpful wasn't it."

"See Naruto reading isn't so bad is it," said Sai politely.

"I'll gladly admit that it isn't my favorite thing to do, but it did help the time go by faster. Which reminds me I have something to show you guys."

Naruto carefully removed his forehead protector and pulled out the small piece of paper that was behind it. and handed it over to Ino.

"Feast your eyes on that," said Naruto proudly.

Ino took the piece of paper and notice that it wasn't paper at all, but a photograph. Her baby blue eyes lit up as she noticed what she was looking at.

"Awe Naruto this is amazing I can't believe it," said Ino as she looked at the ultrasound picture.

She grabbed Naruto's waist and hugged him.

"Congratulations Naruto! Seeing this makes me realize that this is really happening. Sakura is really having a baby!" Cheered Ino as she jumped up and down. "Come here Sai you have to see this."

Sai drew closer and took the picture. He looked at it and smiled at Naruto.

"This is indeed wonderful Naruto-kun. I'm very happy for you and Sakura-san. Now you have proof showing everyone that you aren't dickless. You obviously have a dick since you conceived a child," replied Sai innocently.

Naruto blushed and yank the photo from Sai's pale hand.

"Sai honestly when will you just let that go already!" Snapped Naruto as he placed his photo safely behind the silver plate on his forehead protector.

He tied it tightly as he glared at Sai; his face still burning from embarrassment. He heard Ino clear her throat.

"Yeah Sai leave Naruto alone, I'll have you know he's far from dick less," said Ino as she slapped Naruto on the back. "Sakura maybe a little shy to share certain information with me but let me tell you she has told me that he isn't lacking in that department, no sir. Isn't that right Naruto?"

Naruto could have died of embarrassment right then and there. Before he lost it and passed out from utter humiliation he felt someone's hand on his left shoulder. He turned around to see Kakashi looking at him.

"Sorry if you've all been waiting long. So what are you talking about?" Asked Kakashi.

"Oh hello Kakashi-sensei we were just having a discussion on how Naruto-kun is endowed…"

Sai was unable to finish his sentence due to Naruto coming up from behind him and covering his mouth.

"Oh nothing Kakashi-sensei we were just talking about tonight's mission is all" said Naruto.

He did his best to sound authentic. Kakashi looked around suspiciously at the three of them; he sighed and decided it was best not to inquire any further on what they were really discussing.

"Well Naruto I'm happy to see that you look more enthusiastic about tonight then you did earlier today. Is it safe to say that you'll be on your toes tonight? Asked Kakashi.

Naruto slowly let go of Sai and nodded.

"Yes Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto.

"Good now listen up everyone here's what's going on tonight, and every other night until we are given other orders. Each one of us is going to be patrolling an area on the borders of the village. There's a team already patrolling the outer walls and my ninken are on patrol in the village. I'll be taking the North side, Sai you've got East, Naruto you're South, and Ino is West.

Now I'll be contacting you all every hour for an update on your area, and for roll call."

Kakashi removed some headsets from his knapsack and handed everyone a pair.

"Make sure they work and that you're all on channel 1, and please no goofy off with them, that means you Naruto," warned Kakashi.

Naruto gave his former sensei a sheepish grin and nodded his head.

"Now listen closely because this is very important. I want you all to report anything suspicious, even if you think it's nothing. Tsunade-sama is very worried about what's going on. That's why she's done so much to keep the villagers safe. If you do encounter anyone call it in informing the rest of us. If you need backup set these off," said Kakashi as he handed everyone flare tags. "Attach these to your kunai's before we head out. Keep in mind you'll need to smear some of your blood to activate them."

"What happens if we aren't able to set our flares off, what's the procedure then?" Asked Ino.

"If for whatever reason you can't set off the flare Naruto will find you. His ability to sense chakras and his heighten sense of smell is key to our team's success rate. So keep an eye out Naruto, we're really counting on you. If all else fails my ninken aren't far behind, they can be back up as well. Now double check all your equipment and let's get going."

Everyone checked that they had everything they needed in order in unison. Once Naruto had gotten his flare kunai ready and made sure his communicator worked he made his way towards Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei there's something I need to let you and the rest of the team know."

"Is that so, well what is it Naruto?"

"My right arm got banged up last night. I tore a few muscles and broke my wrist, but Sakura-chan fixed me right up, but I'm still a little sore. I'm not healing as fast as I normally do."

"Is everything ok?" Asked Kakashi "You usually heal rather fast."

"The Kyuubi and I aren't seeing eye to eye at the moment so I don't have his help right now. However this isn't going to hinder my performance tonight. Believe me Kakashi-sensei I wouldn't have come tonight if I would have thought otherwise. I know I can do this, I wouldn't put my team at risk if I thought otherwise," said Naruto.

Kakashi looked Naruto over and knew that face all too well. He was determined and he was telling the truth.

"Alright Naruto thank you for sharing this with me. Just be careful alright. I know Sakura wouldn't be please if you came back home with your arm in worse shape than what it's in right now," warned Kakashi.

"Yes Kakashi-sensei, I'll be careful."

"Alright then, is everyone ready?"

"Yes, "said everyone in unison.

"Right then lets head out, and remember, I'll be contacting you all in an hour. Be safe and alert, we can't afford any mistakes," said Kakashi.

With that said everyone dispersed silently into the forest.

* * *

><p>It was 3:00am and Naruto was bored out of his mind. Suddenly a slight hiss of static buzzed in his ear and the sound of it snapped him out of his boredom.<p>

"Report," said Kakashi.

"Everything on the East side is clear," said Sai.

"West side is clear too," replied Ino.

Naruto pressed his communicator and sighed.

"All clear here in the south."

"Right, only four more hours to go everyone stay sharp," ordered Kakashi.

"Right," said everyone.

Naruto yawned and stretched his body as he relaxed high on a tree branch. He looked around the forest surveying his surroundings. It was cool, silent, and eerie. He looked up at the sky through the canopy high above him. Midnight blue adorned the clear sky; not a cloud was in sight. The stillness of the night was interrupted when Naruto's stomach growled, the sudden sound startled him. He reached into his knapsack and pulled out an energy bar. He ate his snack in silence as he made sure to keep himself alert with his surroundings.

"Remind me not to talk bad about that Nara kid anymore," muttered the Kyuubi.

"Oh and why is that?" Asked Naruto doing his best to keep his voice neutral.

"He grew some balls and taught that mutt a lesson, it's a pity we weren't able to do the same."

"Yeah he surprised me too, don't worry though I'm not letting Kiba get away the next time I see him.

"Is that so?" Inquired the Kyuubi. "It isn't like you to hold a grudge."

"This is different. Kiba not only harmed Sakura-chan but he told his mom everything. She made things from bad to worst. Thanks to her almost all of Konoha knows Sakura-chan is pregnant. Honestly I wanted to keep it under wraps, and now that isn't a possibility, and to top things off we have this situation with people vanishing. Sakura-chan could be a prime target if there is indeed something going on."

"Humans disappear all the time, usually at the hand of another human, but perhaps Tsunade has a point. We must always be on guard."

"Agreed," said Naruto.

"It really is a pity that your canine friend left the village though. I was looking forward to speaking to him."

"He's lucky he isn't here, I might have done something I'd regret later."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, it's better that I don't see him, I need time to cool off."

"And what will you do when you do see your so called friend again?"

"I don't know yet."

"Well don't fall for any of his tricks. Dogs always think they're so smart but remember a fox is much more cunning."

"So then are we good?" Asked Naruto.

"Well?"

"As much as I'd like to ignore you some more I can't. Especially if there is a threat. We need each other in order to make sure Sakura stays safe. So as you put it we are good. Your arm should be back to normal in a few hours."

"Fair enough, and thanks," replied Naruto.

He was relieved that the Kyuubi had finally forgiven him, or at least come back to his senses. It would be good to have his arm back to normal. He took his last bite of his energy bar and stood up. He decided it was about time to make his rounds. Suddenly Naruto's eyes widen and he covered his nose quickly.

"Well now that's a hideous stench isn't it? Keh it's one I know all too well. It seems we have company coming our way doesn't it Naruto?" Chuckled the Kyuubi as it disappeared into Naruto sub conscious.

Naruto pressed his communicator and spoke rapidly.

"This is Naruto I've picked up on something."

"What is it Naruto?" Asked Kakashi.

"I'm sensing some shinobi heading towards the South. They're moving fast, they're just a few miles away from you Ino, "said Naruto.

"How many are there Naruto?" Asked Ino as she prepared herself.

"I'm not sure exactly, two maybe three," said Naruto as he coughed from the horrid smell invading his nostrils.

"What you mean you aren't sure?!" Yelled Ino.

"I'm trying Ino, but this smell its fogging my senses."

"Smell what smell?" Asked Ino as she looked around back and forth.

"It's the smell of death Ino and its heading your way!" Warned Naruto.

"Ino don't let your guard down let us know if you need backup," said Kakashi.

Ino surveyed the surrounding trees doing her best to try and feel out the approaching intruders. She jumped up into a nearby tree for extra cover. She slowly removed a kunai and crouched down ready to strike at any moment. A few minutes passed by, and Ino waited patiently. Suddenly she felt them. She swiftly moved her body to the left just in time to dodge several shuriken's. They viciously became embedded in the tree trunk behind her. Ino back flipped from the tree and landed gracefully in front of three shinobi. She looked at the intruders and stepped forward in a defensive stance.

"You're trespassing on the borders of Konoha, we don't take kindly to trespassers. Please state your business now!"

The three dark skinned shinobi weren't phrased by Ino's threat. They slowly began to circle the young kunoichi.

"Do you hear that boy's this little lady wants to know what business we have with Konoha," chuckled one of the men. "Well princess how about we introduce ourselves first, no? Its rather rude of us not to don't you think?

"My name is Kenju, and these are my teammates Renji, and Yukon. We're simply here to drop off some cargo for Konoha. You might want to let the rest of your team know about us."

Ino's eyes widen, they knew she wasn't alone.

"Go ahead beautiful call them, but I doubt they'll get here in time to help. So it looks like it's the three of us against you."

Ino glared at the shinobi before her; she kept her eyes fixed on the men before her. She gently pressed her communicator and spoke.

"There are three of them. I repeat there are three intruders."

"Ino be careful," replied Sai.

Ino had no time to respond to Sai's warning. One of the men made a dash towards her rapidly. She braced herself for the impact; there was no time to dodge. She felt his weight crash into her midsection; she smirked and grabbed hold of her attacker. He looked surprised as Ino brought him closer to her body. Soon he realized he had given her the upper hand with his attack. Ino pierced his back with her kunai and inhaled deeply. She shot out four poisoned senbon from her mouth. They swiftly struck her assailant's cheek. He yelled in pain from both of Ino's attacks, and he let her go. She roughly pushed him away and kneed him in the stomach. She regained her balance quickly and prepared herself for another attack. Her attacker skid onto the floor convulsing from the poison that quickly circulated through his body.

"That was such an amateur mistake Renji," said Kenju as he shook his head in disappointment. "Looks like the kunoichi's here in Konoha are feisty. I like that in a woman."

"Ino report what's going on!" Yelled Kakashi.

"I've taken one down, but I'm not sure I can handle this alone," quickly replied Ino.

She bit her thumb and reached into her knapsack. She grabbed her flare kunai and began to pull it out when she suddenly felt someone grasp her throat and knock her to the ground.

Yukon straddled her and pinned her to the floor. He grasped her wrists tightly and made himself heavier on her tiny frame.

"Go ahead and have fun with that little firecracker Yukon. Just make sure you get rid of that communicator around her neck. Oh and be careful with that mouth of hers," warned Kenju.

"No worries Kenju, if she had any other surprises in their I would have thought she'd use them by now," Replied Yukon.

"Whatever just watch her! I'm heading out to finish dropping off our cargo. Don't have too much fun, leave some for me," said Kenju as he left Ino alone with his teammate.

Ino glared at the man above her, he was right, she was out of poisoned senbon. They were her desperation move, and she had already used up that technique. Yukon leaned in close and inhaled Ino's floral scent. His rough hands tighten around her delicate wrists. He leaned in towards the nape of her neck and she felt him rip her communicator off with his mouth. His suffocation breath made her skin crawl. Static hit the rest of Team 7's ears as they lost connection with Ino.

"This is bullshit I'm going to back her up! Snapped Naruto. "I'm making a shadow clone to watch over my section "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

One of his shadow clones appeared from the cloud of smoke.

"Go I've got things covered here," said the clone.

"Right."

"Naruto above all don't kill them, they need to be interrogated!" Warned Kakashi.

"Oh I won't kill them, you can still live with broken bones," growled Naruto.

He ran off in the direction Ino's chakra signature was coming from. The smell of death still hung in the air like a disgusting veil of impurity. Suddenly Naruto could feel the shinobi Ino was dealing with. Their intentions clouded his mind; he clenched his teeth in anger and disgust.

"Hold on Ino I'm on my way."

Ino struggled under Yukon as he pinned her forcefully down further into the ground. With each attempt of escape Ino expressed Yukon put more of his weight on her wrists. Ino whimpered and did her best to show she was no match. Her attacker was dumb enough to underestimate her and fell for her trick. She pried her wrists free by pulling her arms to her side. This caused Yukon to lose his balance. As soon as he lost his center of gravity Ino raised her right leg and kneed him in the stomach. He fell forward even farther leaving his right rib cage open for her to elbow him. Ino heard Yukon grunt as she dug her elbow deep into his floating rib; she did her best to try and break it. He fell to his side allowing her room to roll under him.

She quickly got to her feet and grabbed a kunai. Yukon began to desperately tried to get away from her. Ino swiftly went after him and swung her kunai at his chest. Yukon grabbed his side and blocked Ino's attack with the metal plate on his gloved free hand. As a desperate attempt to keep her away he threw several shuriken at her, trying his best to regain his composure from Ino's previous attack, but it was useless, Ino was livid. She repelled each shuriken that came her way with her kunai. She dashed rapidly at Yukon; she had him right where she wanted him but before she was able to deliver her finally strike a searing hot pain shot through her head. Kenju had returned and he had grabbed her ponytail just in time to save his comrade. Ino screamed as she was abruptly brought to a halt. Kenju yanked on her long blonde hair and dragged her towards him. Ino could see her attacker Yukon still trying to catch his breath on the floor; she had been so close to finishing him off.

"Now you need to settle down little girl," chuckled Kenju as he dragged Ino behind him.

Ino's neck hurt from the sudden whiplash; she felt her scalp burn as she felt herself being lift from the ground by her blonde locks. Kenju let go of her hair and pinned her by her wrists up against a tree; he smirked at his prize.

"Looks like I was right about you huh princess. You really are a little firecracker," said Kenju as he pried the kunai from Ino's hand. He made use of it by popping the buttons off her top. "I like a woman who can pack a punch," growled Kenju as he plucked the last button on Ino's top, exposing her large breasts.

"You want to know who packs a bigger punch asshole?" Snapped Ino.

"Who princess?" Asked Kenju as he roughly grabbed one of her breasts.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Yelled Ino as she spat at Kenju's face.

He winced as Ino's spit hit him directly in the eyes. He raised his hand to strike her when suddenly he heard a bone crunching sound from behind him. He turned around to see his comrade Yukon's face hit the ground causing the earth to split underneath his face. He looked in terror as a blonde haired shinobi dressed in orange and black shoved his teammates face deeper into the ground.

"That's impossible we were told he wouldn't be here," said Kenju in a shaky voice.

"Oh he's here alright and you're in for it now, you've gotten him mad," purred Ino sadistically.

Naruto glared at Kenju as he tightened his grip on the sorry individual who hadn't seen him coming. Naruto knew this shinobi wouldn't be getting up anytime soon. Kenju's attention remained fixed on the threat he was facing. He didn't let go of Ino nor did he move; he was frozen with fear. Ino took advantage of her attacker's distraction with Naruto and kneed him roughly in the crotch. He let go of her as the pain from her attack balled up in his stomach. Ino quickly retreated and hid behind a bush. She watched from the safety of the foliage as Naruto lunged towards Kenju. Naruto quickly clothes lined him and brought him down roughly to the ground. Blood erupted from the shinobi's mouth, his eyes widen as pain encompassed his body. Naruto stood up and looked down at the crippled man; he pressed his foot on Kenju's chest.

"Not so tough now aren't you asshole!?" Snapped Naruto. "You were so full of yourself when you were up against a woman, but you were pathetic when you fought against a real man," said Naruto as he dug the heel of his foot into Kenju chest.

Kenju stared at Naruto with terror in his eyes; slowly his eyes rolled in the back of his head as he passed out. The last image he saw was that of Naruto glaring at him. Naruto kicked his limp body and turned around looking for Ino. He saw her peeking from a bush not far. He ran over to her quickly; he wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt. Ino stood up from her hiding place, she was so relieved to see Naruto. She ran towards him and threw herself into his chest.

"Oh my god Naruto I don't think I've ever been so happy to see you," said Ino as she held him close.

"It's alright there aren't any more of them. It was just the three of them that I sensed and they won't be getting up anytime soon," replied Naruto as he turned around to look at the unconscious men on the floor. "You're ok right? They didn't hurt you did they?" Asked Naruto.

"No nothing serious, but that jerk did a number on my shirt," said Ino as she looked down at her torn top.

Naruto followed her gaze and realized her exposed breasts were pressed tightly against his chest. He blushed profusely and quickly looked away. Ino felt Naruto's body language change and she looked up to see him avoiding her glance completely.

"Why are you acting so stupid? You've seen boobs before Naruto," scolded Ino.

"Yeah I have but it's different when those boobs belong to my best friend's girlfriend," snapped Naruto.

"Honestly I thought all men loved breasts," said Ino and she covered her chest and pulled away from Naruto.

"I never said I didn't like them," corrected Naruto.

He realized too late how wrong that sounded and his blush deepened.

"Are you blushing Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto turned his face to the side not looking at the blonde kunoichi as she teased him. He unzipped his jacket and gave it to his teammate.

"Here put this on."

"Thanks," replied Ino.

Naruto heard the sound of his jacket being put on and finally the sound of Ino zipping it up. He turned around and was surprised to see how tiny she looked wearing his jacket.

"Thanks Naruto. Look I didn't mean to tease you, I'm just trying to lighten the mood if you know what I mean. These guys came out of nowhere, and they really shook me up."

"It's alright I understand Ino. Now stay close I'm reporting to Kakashi-sensei and Sai."

Ino wrapped her arms around Naruto's waist and held onto him tightly. Naruto looked down at her and smiled. He pressed the side of his communicator and spoke.

"Kakashi-sensei all three intruders are down and Ino is safe."

"Good are they alive?" Asked Kakashi.

"For the most part yes."

"What in the world did they want?" Asked Sai.

Naruto looked down at Ino and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Did those guys give you any clues as to why they were even here Ino?"

"They told me their names, the one with the grey hair twitching over there is Renji, the one you face planted is Yukon and the last guy is Kenju. They told me they were here to deliver some cargo for Konoha," answered Ino.

"Alright he's what we got, Sai get ready to jot down this info," said Naruto. "Apparent names are Kenju, Yukon, and Renji. They fed Ino some crap about them dropping something off…"

Naruto's voice trailed off as he realized something. "Hold on Kakashi- sensei I think I know what they meant by dropping something off. I'm going to check it out."

"Fine just set off the flare before you leave, and don't leave those bodies behind send some shadow clones with them to the entrance of the village, I'll take it from there," said Kakashi.

"Sure thing. Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Ino watched as three of Naruto's clones appeared and walked towards the limp bodies of her attackers. They each picked up a body and dashed towards the village. Naruto reached into his knapsack and pulled out his flare kunai. He bit his thumb and smeared his blood on the tag attached to it. He waited a few seconds and then threw it high into the night sky. The paper burned a bright red and lit up the sky above them.

"Alright I have my clones on their way," said Naruto.

"Good let us know if your hunch is correct Naruto," said Kakashi.

Naruto looked around and smelled the air; he winced since the awful stench of death was still present. He was so concerned with Ino's safety that he had blocked it from his mind, but it was still there. His eyes watered as he groaned, he didn't want to smell it again but he had to pinpoint where this was coming from. He finally narrowed it down and pointed at a direction in the forest.

"That's where that god awful smell is coming from," coughed Naruto.

"That's the same direction Kenju disappeared to for a few minutes, he mentioned something about dropping off the cargo. I have to say though I don't smell anything Naruto. If anything the air is a little musty and it smells a lot of earth. Then again were in the forest so that's kinda expected."

"Just be happy that you can't smell this because it's fucking disgusting. I'm getting sick to my stomach. Come on let's see what the source is before I pass out from the smell."

"Can you keep up Ino?" Asked Naruto.

"You bet I can," answered Ino.

"Alright I don't think the source is too far."

Naruto took off and led the way into the forest with Ino close behind him. She was still on edge and looked around the forest afraid another bout of shinobi would ambush them. Naruto stopped abruptly; he slowly turned his head and looked back at Ino.

"Hey don't worry Ino. I promise there aren't any other shinobi out here," reassured Naruto. "I can feel your anxiety and fear. Please believe me when I say everything is alright. I'm right here, I'll keep you safe."

Ino nodded her head and once Naruto was sure her nerves were set at ease he continued to lead her deeper into the forest. They traveled silently for a few minutes when Naruto suddenly stopped running. He looked around the forest and inhaled deeply.

"Keep an eye out Ino, we're getting close," whispered Naruto.

Ino followed Naruto's orders as they searched the forest. She looked around and noticed nothing special about their surroundings. She kept close to Naruto as she did her best to help with the search. Suddenly Ino smelt a mixture of earth and decomposing flesh. Her stomach churned and she covered her mouth and coughed.

"You smell it now don't you?" Asked Naruto.

"Yeah I do but, Naruto we're at least a few miles from where we originally were," said Ino as she covered her nose. "How in the world were you able to smell this if it's so far?"

"Thanks to the Kyuubi I have a great sense of smell," replied Naruto. "We're getting close keep an eye out.

"Right," replied Ino.

The two friends walked through the quiet forest side by side as they scouted the area. Finally Ino spotted what looked like a body to the left of them.

"Over there Naruto, look," said Ino as she pointed to the figure on the floor.

They walked over to discover it was indeed a body, or at least what was left of one. Ino crouched down and looked the body over. She breathed into Naruto's jacket sleeve trying to filter out the stench. There wasn't much she could do but take mental notes of the body's condition and what clues it held. She finally turned around and looked up at Naruto.

"It's a man in his mid 40's, he's been dead for at least a week. We need to get proper equipment to examine and move the body. We can't be hanging around it without masks. You should let Kakashi-sensei know. He needs to send a recovering team to take care of this," coughed Ino.

Naruto nodded his head and turned away to contact Kakashi. Ino noticed he looked pale, she wasn't feeling any better herself. She got ready to stand up when something grabbed her. She slowly turned around to see a rotting hand clasped tightly around her wrist. Ino froze and watched in horror as the body tried to lift itself off the ground. It dragged its second arm over its torso in an attempt to reach her. The young kunoichi couldn't believe her eyes; she let out an ear piercing scream that filled the quiet he forest around her.


	14. Chapter 14: Left in the dark

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Ino's ear piercing scream rang through Naruto's ears. He turned around quickly to see her struggling on the floor. He ran to her aid and once he was by her side he was speechless. He couldn't believe his eyes. There in front of him was Ino trying to fight off the decaying corpse they had just found. At first Naruto thought Ino was trying to fool him, but her screams and tears were real. Naruto quickly bent down next to her and grabbed the cold stiff hand that clung to her wrist. His first attempt to free her was a failure. The corpse was determined to keep the kunoichi in its grasp. Naruto growled as he roughly ripped the decomposing hand's grip off his friends wrist. The sound of it's fingers cracking as they broke off due to his strength rang through Ino's ears. She desperately crawled away and found refuge behind Naruto. The body flopped sluggishly on the floor; its attempts to lift itself seem to be gone.<p>

"What the fuck is happening?" Asked Naruto as he threw the rotting arm away. "You just told me this guy has been dead for over a week!"

"He has been dead for over a week," replied Ino as she clung to Naruto's back.

"So why the hell is he flopping around like a damn fish out of water?!"

"I don't know but I don't think I've ever been so scared before in my life," said Ino as she tried to regulate her frantic breathing. "You need to get Kakashi-sensei over here now! I don't think I can stand having this thing next to me anymore."

"Right, let's get some space between us and this thing. The smell has gotten worse," said Naruto

He stood up and kept his eyes on the corpse. It twitched and rolled along on the floor as Naruto helped Ino up. She buried her face in Naruto chest; the sight was too horrific for her to see. Naruto held her close and slowly stepped back from the monstrosity that flopped on the floor. Naruto pressed his communicator to contacted Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei we need a recovering team over here stat. Ino and I found a dead body."

"Alright what's the body's condition?" Asked Kakashi.

"Umm funny you should ask that. It seems that this dead body still has some life left in it."

"I don't understand, what do you mean?" Asked Kakashi.

"Are you telling a joke Naruto-kun?" Asked Sai.

"No I am not telling a joke Sai I'm telling the truth! This person is clearly dead but it just grabbed Ino and it's flopping around on the floor right now."

A moment of silence filled Naruto's left ear, finally Kakashi responded.

"Alright stay put I'm sending a retrieval team, don't use your flare, Pakkun will find you."

"Right Kakashi-sensei."

"Is Ino ok Naruto?" Asked Sai.

"Yeah she's fine, she's right here next to me."

"That's good, I'm relieved she's alright," replied Sai.

"I am too," said Naruto.

"So what's going on?" Asked Ino.

"A retrieval team is on their way. Our orders are to stay put and not use any flares. Kakashi-sensei wants us to be on the safe side and not give our location just in case more intruders are watching us. Which I doubt but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Ino nodded her head. She looked over at the corpse as it twitched and squirmed on the floor.

"That poor person. I know they're dead but why on earth would someone do this to disgrace someone after death? This can't be the forbidden technique Edo Tensei. It wouldn't make sense to use that on a normal individual. I'm pretty sure this person isn't a shinobi."

"Well not just that but doesn't that technique give the resurrected party a new body? This body is by far new. I mean it's clearly rotting," said Naruto.

"You're right I have no idea what this could be, but it can't be anything good."

"Yeah," replied Naruto.

Both he and Ino remained silent as they waited for the retrieval team. Ino tried her best to keep her mind occupied; she looked at Naruto as he stood next to her with his arms crossed. A cool breeze blew by and Ino shuddered; she was happy she had Naruto's jacket.

"You aren't cold Naruto?

"No I'm not cold, actually I'm really comfortable. The breeze feels nice."

Ino rubbed her arms together to try and generate more heat. She couldn't believe Naruto was comfortable in this weather. Ino looked Naruto over; her gaze locked on to his wounded arm. It was tightly wrapped in a bandage from his forearm to his wrist. She had almost forgotten that at the start of their mission he had warned everyone he was hurt."

"So how's your arm doing Naruto?

"Almost good as new. I think my healing went into overdrive when I went to help you," said Naruto as he moved his right arm around. "The Kyuubi and I are finally a team again."

"So why wasn't the Kyuubi healing you anyway? I mean what happened exactly?" Asked Ino.

Naruto turned his head towards her. He was more than apprehensive to answer her question. It was innocent enough but he felt strange telling her the Kyuubi's reason behind not healing him.

"It's really complicated Ino, and honestly, I feel embarrassed talking to you about it, no offense."

"It's alright Naruto, I understand."

"Besides I'm sure Sakura-chan will tell you everything. So you'll learn soon enough."

"You see it's only a matter of time," teased Ino.

Naruto chuckled but stopped when something grabbed his attention.

"They're here."

A team of Anbu mixed with two medic shinobi's swiftly appeared in front of Ino and Naruto. One of the masked Anbu members approached them slowly as the rest of the team quickly ran towards the body.

"What is it exactly that happened here? We were informed somewhat by Kakashi but I'd like to hear it from you two if you don't mind."

"Sure thing. I've been smelling this body since I felt the presents of three shinobi who were trespassing. Now I've smelt a rotting corpse before, but there's something definitely different about this one, I just don't know what. My teammate here said that individual has been dead for at least a week but it reached up and grabbed her when I turned around to report us finding it."

"Is this true?" Asked the masked shinobi.

"Yes it is. The body suddenly came to life and tried to pull me towards it. Its movements were sluggish though and once Naruto freed me it ran out of energy."

"This does seem to be an interesting situation. Thank you for your corporation, we'll take it from here. Kakashi wants you both to go back to your positions. He's moved his ninken for extra support so no one will be alone for the rest of tonight's patrol," said the Anbu shinobi.

"Right, then we'll be heading out now," replied Naruto.

Both he and Ino quickly departed so that they could return to their original duties. As cruel as it sounded Ino was beyond relieved to leave that tormented soul behind.

* * *

><p>Naruto took Ino back to the western border of Konoha. They arrived to find Urushi, one of Kakashi's ninken, waiting for them.<p>

"There now you don't have to worry about being without my nose Ino. Kakashi-sensei's ninken are awesome, isn't that right Urushi?"

"Of course Naruto-kun we're the best," barked Urushi.

Naruto grinned at the ninken's enthusiasm. Even Ino giggled a little. It was clear that the both of them looked better now than they had a few minutes ago. Leaving had made a big difference. Ino stood by Urushi as he wagged his tail at her. Naruto couldn't help but notice how his jacket almost covered the bottom of her skirt. Seeing Ino's tiny frame engulfed in his clothing made him think of how Sakura looked when she wore his jacket. Ino felt Naruto's eyes on her; she looked at him questioning his gaze. Naruto quickly snapped out of his daydreaming and removed his communicator from his neck.

"Here take this. You need this more than I do," said Naruto as he handed Ino his communicator. "Just make sure you let Kakashi-sensei and Sai know you're in position. We won't be on patrol much longer. Urushi will take good care of you Ino. So you'll be safe."

"Alright Naruto, and thank you, for everything."

"It's no problem," said Naruto as he walked away. "I'll see you at the end of our shift."

"Reporting is going to be really interesting isn't it Naruto? Tsunade-sama isn't going to believe this."

"Tell me about it," replied Naruto.

"Well I guess I see your later than. Thanks again and be safe."

"Always," said Naruto as he left Ino and her four legged partner behind.

He quickly jumped high into the branches of the forest trees and he made his way back to his post. He sprang from branch to branch and after a few moments of silence he let out a loud sigh of relief. He would have never forgiven himself if anything had happened to Ino. If he had he would have not only failed Ino, but his best friend Shikamaru too. The mere thought made him shake. Thank god he had made it in time, he was happy she was safe. He was also glad that a new team had come to take care of the recovering of that body. However as much as he tried Naruto couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

><p>The rest of the night was uneventful for Team 7. What hours were left went by rather quickly and the next thing Naruto knew he was walking into Tsunade's office. Tsunade kept quiet and said nothing when they entered her office. Shizune stood next to Tsunade's desk holding Tonton.<p>

"Report Team 7," said Tsunade as she looked over piles of new paperwork on her desk.

"Yes Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi as he cleared his throat. "Our first few hours were quiet and uneventful, however at 3:00am we ran into problems."

"I know, I was informed about the three new guests we have in our custody. Once they are released from intensive care those three individuals are going to be interrogated by one of the best, that being your father Ino."

Ino straighten up and nodded at Tsunade's remark.

"He and your mother should be returning today, so until then our new prisoners will wait in their hospital beds," replied Tsunade as she looked at Naruto.

"So then, what's this about a dead body?"

"Yes well Naruto and Ino found it together after Naruto came to Ino's aid," said Kakashi.

"Is that so? Well I've ordered a full autopsy on the body, along with several tests. We'll soon find out the cause of death and the reason why those three were in its possession."

Naruto's right eye twitched at Tsunade's tone. He could sense the slight sound of worry and apprehension in her voice. It was something that no one else would be able to pick up on, but Naruto was sure she knew something, and she wasn't about to tell them.

"Why are you asking us to report when you already know what we're going to say Baa-chan? You aren't one for protocol," said Naruto.

"As Hokage I'm notified as soon as something happens, however I want to hear last night's events straight from the source."

"Oh so you want to hear it straight from the source then huh? Alright then tell her Ino, tell her what you told me before the recovering team arrived," snapped Naruto.

Ino jumped, suddenly all eyes were on her. She looked up at Tsunade and nervously spoke.

"One of the men who attacked me told me he and his team were told Naruto wouldn't be in Konoha," whispered Ino.

Tsunade's eyes widen. Naruto walked closer to her desk and leaned towards her. He looked intensely at Tsunade, she in turn returned Naruto's stare.

"Did you hear that Baa-chan, someone's been keeping tabs on me."

"That can't be possible," said Tsunade.

"Well I hate to break it to you but that's what it's looks like."

"There's a spy in the village?" Asked Ino.

"No I don't think so Ino, it would be very difficult for a spy to infiltrated Konoha. If we really do have a spy, they must be highly trained. Perhaps someone from Konoha has turned against us?" Asked Sai.

"Well whether there is a spy or not isn't important, what is important is that Baa-chan is hiding something from us. I can feel it," said Naruto.

"I don't know what you're talking about Naruto," replied Tsunade.

"Yes you do Baa-chan! You can't lie to me!"

"Enough!" Scolded Tsunade as she looked at Naruto. "Having a potential spy in Konoha is just an assumption, but I will look into that possibility. However you need to shape up with your attitude Naruto!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means what it means Naruto. You always forget that I'm your superior."

"No I don't, I just can't stand it when you lie to me."

"Naruto as Hokage I need to keep certain information strictly confidential. Our relationship is a close one but there are certain details that I must keep to myself for specific reasons," said Tsunade as she quickly glanced at Kakashi.

The silver haired Jounin felt his heart race, he knew what Tsunade was getting at. He looked as Shizune; she made eye contact with him momentarily but quickly looked away. That was all the confirmation he needed, he turned his glanced back to Tsunade only to see her gaze fixed on Naruto.

"So you are admitting that you are withholding information from us!" How can you do something like this, we're the ones out there, you shouldn't be sending us out on patrol blind! Just look at Ino, far worse could have happened to her!"

Ino flinched at the sound of her name; she hated being mentioned at a time like this. The room suddenly fell silent; Ino slowly looked up. She was unable to see Tsunade's reaction because Naruto's body was in the way, but after a few moments of awkward silence she heard the 5th Hokage let out a deep sigh.

"Don't you think I know that Naruto, anything can go wrong on a mission, and at any time, you're a shinobi you should know that. I can't take back what happened, but don't you think for one second that I sent you on border patrol blind. You aren't being sacrificed, you're doing your job, all of you are," said Tsunade.

"Oh so now it's about our job description?!"

"Naruto," whispered Ino.

"If you want us to do our job then do your part and have us properly informed!"

"You all were properly informed!" Snapped Tsunade.

"No we weren't! Now stop denying it and tell us what you know Baa-chan!"

"It's none of your business Naruto, you aren't meant to handle this type of information. Your only concern is border patrol. You apprehended the enemy and now your job is done. I'll take it from here. You're all dismissed, go home and get some rest you need to be in top shape tonight," ordered Tsunade.

"Baa-chan.."

"Another outburst like this is only going to get you removed from border patrol Naruto. Just drop it and go home."

Defeated Naruto took a few steps from Tsunade's desk, there were so many things he wanted to say to her but his attempts were useless. He'd dealt with Tsunade plenty of times before, all this auguring wasn't going to get him anywhere; this old woman was just as stubborn as he was.

"Fine I'll go home and rest so that I'm well rested and ready for more bullshit tonight," said Naruto as he stormed out of the Hokage's office.

Kakashi was surprised with Naruto's quick departure. He was getting ready to drag him out of Tsunade's office kicking and screaming, but luckily Naruto had left before things had gotten out of hand.

"Naruto," called Kakashi.

"It's alright Kakashi, let him go."

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

The busty Hokage sighed heavily. Her confrontation with Naruto wasn't exactly what she was expecting from Team 7's report, but it was difficult to keep things hidden him. She leaned back in her seat and turned her attention towards Ino. She motioned her to come closer to her desk. Ino obeyed and walked over towards Tsunade's desk quickly.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?" Asked Ino.

"You don't need to go to the hospital do you?" Asked Tsunade softly.

"Oh no Tsunade-sama it's nothing I can't take care of myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes ma'am I'm sure. I just have a few bruises, it's nothing serious."

"You don't know how glad I am to hear that. I assure you Ino those three are going to regret coming to Konoha every minute that they're here. I know they're in agony right now. You and Naruto really did a number on them. Now then, please get some rest, it's Shikamaru's day off so try and relax," said Tsunade.

Ino nodded her head and smiled at Tsunade. She turned around and bump into Sai. She backed away and was about to apologize when she felt him grab a hold of her hand gently.

"Come now Ino-san we've been dismissed, I'll take you to Shikamaru's if you like," said Sai with a smile on his face.

"I'd really like that Sai, thank you," replied Ino as she held his hand tightly.

The two of them left the office and Kakashi slowly followed them. He knew even if he stayed Tsunade wouldn't verify his assumption on the matter. He closed the door behind him and Shizune let out a sigh of relief.

"Kakashi knows Tsunade-sama. I just know he does. Don't you think you're making things worse by not telling Team 7? Naruto is going to do everything in his power to uncover the truth."

"No, this is a sensitive matter for them as it is and Sakura being pregnant makes things more complicated. It's better that none of them know," sighed Tsunade. "Things are far worse than I thought Shizune. It's not easy keeping things from Naruto anymore. That brat is too powerful for his own good. I'm usually a very good liar but he saw right through me."

"But Tsunade-sama.."

"Enough, I don't want to hear anything else about keeping Team 7 in the dark, is that clear Shizune? The only ones that are allowed to know are ourselves and Team 8."

* * *

><p>Naruto slowly walked into his apartment. He couldn't believe that Tsunade would keep something from him. She was always one to confide in him with sensitive intelligence, why was this any different? He removed his knapsack as he made his way to his bedroom. He then walked into his room and looked at his bed to find Sakura still asleep. Seeing her angelic state washed Naruto's frustration away; all he wanted was to be close to her.<p>

He placed his knapsack on his dresser followed by his forehead protector that held their ultrasound photo. He removed his shirt and threw it carelessly on the floor. He tugged at the bandages wrapped around his arm with his mouth. He removed the cloth that enveloped his arm and threw the bandages in a trash bin by his dresser. He continued to undress himself till he was left in nothing but his boxers. He slowly slipped into bed and gently brought Sakura closer to him. His arms wrapped around her and his hands rested on her lower abdomen. Naruto smiled as he remembered what treasure was deeply nestled inside her. He inhaled her scent and cuddled next to her, enjoying the small moment of bliss his sleeping girlfriend provided him.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru woke up and stared at his ceiling. The sound of his alarm clock going off few seconds later irritated him. He leaned over and roughly hit his clock; it was 7:45am. He had no idea why he even bothered setting an alarm in the morning. He always ended up waking up before it went off, but he knew that the one day he didn't set it would be the day he'd oversleep and be late. He sighed and reluctantly sat up in bed. He looked around his apartment when something orange and black on his closet doorknob caught his attention; it was Naruto's jacket. That was the last thing he thought he'd see in his place, especially at this hour. It was way too early for Naruto to be functioning, let alone stopping by for a visit. Shikamaru dragged himself out of bed and walked over to Naruto's jacket.<p>

"Naruto?" Called Shikamaru.

He looked around his apartment; there was no trace of his best friend. He ran his fingers through his long black hair and yawn loudly as he stretched.

"Thinking and processing simple information is so troublesome in the mornings," muttered Shikamaru.

He lazily walked into his living room and looked around. A few small noises from his restroom caught his attention. The door slowly opened and Ino stepped out wearing nothing but a towel. A cloud of steam came out with her, but quickly disappeared in the cool room. Ino looked up at her boyfriend and a weak smile spread across her face. Her long platinum blonde hair clung to her shoulders that were a bit red from the hot water she had used.

"Geez you think you could of used hotter water Ino?" Asked Shikamaru as he looked at his girlfriend appearance.

"…"

"Is Naruto here?" Asked Shikamaru as he handed Ino his friend's jacket.

Ino took Naruto's jacket and looked at the fabrics familiar colors, after a short moment she looked back at Shikamaru.

"Naruto isn't here."

"So what's his jacket doing here then?"

"He gave it to me last night."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his blonde girlfriends answer. Ino in turn looked down at the jacket she held and tighten her grip on it. She cried softly and buried her face into it. Shikamaru looked puzzled and leaned towards Ino.

"Hey what's this all about Ino? What am I missing here?"

"No matter how hard I tried Shikamaru I can't wash away the filth that man left on me. As hot as the water was his touched is still stuck to my body."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"…"

Suddenly Shikamaru remembered that Ino was now part of Team 7, and they had border patrol last night. His mind started to pull itself from his morning grogginess and he started to put the pieces together.

"Did something happen last night, did someone hurt you?!"

Ino dropped Naruto's jacket and threw herself into her boyfriend's arms.

"Just hold me you idiot," cried Ino.

Shikamaru grunted slightly as Ino knocked the wind out of him. He held her tightly as she cried into his bare chest.

"Naruto saved me, but it scares me to think what could have happened if he wasn't there," sobbed Ino.

Shikamaru listened to his girlfriends muffled sobs; he had a rough idea on what exactly had happened to her, and he was far from happy.

_I'm afraid to hear the truth straight from her, but I know what she's getting at. I may not know the details but there are two things I'm sure of. One being that I'm glad Naruto was there to save her, and two being that I hate mornings, they're so troublesome. _Thought Shikamaru, as he did his best to make Ino feel safe in his arms.

* * *

><p>Sakura woke up to feel Naruto's arms wrapped around her tiny waist. She rolled over and looked at his peaceful face. She traced her fingers slowly on his whiskers, she couldn't help but touch them. Usually this action would stir Naruto, but he remained sound asleep. Sakura looked at the dresser where the alarm clock was; it was 9:55am. She stretched and slowly slid out of bed. She easily noticed the mess of clothes Naruto had left on the floor. She sighed and started picking up her boyfriend's mess. She picked up his pants, shirt, and shoes, but the only piece of clothing she couldn't find was his jacket. She looked around the entire apartment but her search was useless.<p>

"Where in the world is his jacket? The rest of his clothing looks fine so I doubt he lost it in a fight. Knowing him he forgot it in the forest, he's always losing articles of clothing or ripping them to shreds while sparring. Oh well it will turn up somewhere sooner or later," whispered Sakura.

She folded his clothing and placed it on top of his dresser. She was about to leave the room when something in the trash bin caught her attention. Inside it were the bandages she had placed on his arm yesterday. Alarmed Sakura crawled back into bed and moved towards Naruto. She pulled the covers off of him slowly and reached for his right arm. She admitted her green healing chakra from her palms and she slowly ran them all over his arm. She let out a sigh of relief and placed his arm back on the bed. She smiled and relaxed, his arm was fully healed.

"Thank god everything is back to normal."

Suddenly a soft hum caught her attention. She looked around Naruto's apartment trying to find the source of the humming. She soon discovered that it was coming from Naruto. Upon further investigation Sakura realized the sound was coming from underneath the covers. She slowly pulled the covers over Naruto's well-built body. She stopped when she reached his abdomen; her eyes fixed suddenly on his abs. There in plain sight was the seal that held the Kyuubi inside Naruto. Sakura was surprised to see it; it only appeared when Naruto was under high amounts of stress. Sakura looked up at her love as he snored; he was far from being stressed. Sakura leaned in closer towards the seal; she could hear the soft humming it produced.

"Could this be the Kyuubi behaving on its own accord?"

Sakura lightly traced her finger tips in a circular motion following the swirl that appeared on Naruto's stomach. As she reached the middle of the swirl near Naruto's navel Sakura swore the seal pulsated. The young kunoichi pulled her fingers away but just slightly. She was rather curious on the phenomena she was witnessing. She placed the palm of her hand on Naruto's stomach and indeed she felt a pulse coming from the seal.

"I think I know what's going on here."

Sakura bent down until her face was a few inches from Naruto's abdomen; she smiled when the pulsating grew faster the closer she drew. She planted a soft kiss in the middle of the seal. After a few seconds she pulled away slowly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

The seals humming and pulsating began to fade and the next thing Sakura knew they were both gone. She touched Naruto's abdomen but the pulsating had stopped. She covered her boyfriend once more and slid off the side of the bed.

"I don't know much about the Kyuubi but I'm sure that's Naruto kindness and love have found their way inside that demon's heart."

Sakura smiled as she walked out of Naruto's bedroom. That little encounter was something she never thought she'd ever experience. She was happy that it happened though. She loved Naruto, but he also had a different part of him that she still wasn't familiar with. Having little moments like these really made her feel like she was making progress with her relationship with the Kyuubi. Sakura quietly made her way towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge and she was welcomed by a pathetic site. It was empty. She pouted her bottom lip when she saw the condition of the refrigerator.

"How in the world can he live like this? When I made his lunch last night I didn't need anything from the fridge so I had no idea he had nothing to eat," said Sakura.

She closed the door and searched Naruto's cabinets just to find them bare as well.

"I guess he hasn't had a chance to get any groceries since he got back from his 3 week long mission. I honestly didn't want to do anything today but we need groceries," sighed Sakura.

She tip toed her way back into Naruto's room and grabbed her clothes. She slowly closed the door behind her and began to get ready for her day in the living room. Once dressed Sakura went back into Naruto's kitchen. She pulled out a notepad and pen from one of his drawers. She started jotting down things she was going to need from the market. A soft knock snapped her out of her concentration; she turned around looking for the source. She heard the knock again and realized someone was at Naruto's front door. Sakura walked to the door and cracked it opened; it was Shikamaru. She opened the door and smiled.

"Good morning Shikamaru. Are you here to see Naruto?" Asked Sakura.

"No actually I came by to see you, but first here I bet you've been looking for this," said Shikamaru as he handed Sakura a brown package.

Sakura took the package and ripped it open to find Naruto's jacket inside.

"You're right I have been looking for this, where did you find it?"

"Ino had it. She demanded I wash it before I gave it back. She swore it smelled from their mission last night."

"Ino had it?"

"Yeah it's a long story, that's part of the reason why I'm here. I was hoping you hadn't eaten anything yet, have you? Asked Shikamaru.

"No Naruto doesn't have anything here. I was about to head out to buy some groceries."

"Alright then that works. I'll treat you out to eat, then we'll talk. Afterwards I'll help you with your shopping."

"Oh that's so sweet Shikamaru, I gladly accept, just let me leave a note just in case Naruto wakes up while I'm gone," said Sakura as she went back inside.

"I doubt that's gonna happen but sure I'll wait out here," said Shikamaru as he heard Naruto's loud snoring coming from inside.

A few minutes later Sakura returned and locked the door behind her.

"Alright then ready to go?" Asked Shikamaru.

"Sure am," answered Sakura.

Shikamaru motioned Sakura to lead the way and he followed her slowly. The two of them went off to start their day as both their other halves ended theirs.

* * *

><p>Hinata walked in between her two teammates as they followed Yamato to their destination. It was a hot and humid and the pale eyed Hyuga wiped some sweat from her brow. She really wasn't dressed for the heat, however she pressed on. Not much had been said since they had left Konoha early yesterday morning. It normally didn't take this long to get to Kumogakure, but they had been tracking since they started their journey.<p>

"Okay let's stop and take a short break so we can go over the mission one last time, it needs to be flawless," said Yamato.

Team 8 took refuge under the shade of a tree, Akamaru panted heavily from the humid temperature.

"Damn it sucks here, the weather is really shitty. It's hot as hell and all this rain doesn't help, it just makes it hotter with all this humidity," complained Kiba.

"I know the conditions aren't very comfortable but there's a storm on the way. We're heading higher in altitude so the air should get cooler once we reach the village. Now then remember your roles once we get to Kumogakure. The Raikage isn't going to be happy when he sees what kind of team Tsunade-sama has sent to help him search," said Yamato.

Hinata looked at her teammates and slowly raised her hand.

"Um Yamato-taicho I'm still confused. Why were we pulled from border patrol to take this mission?" Asked Hinata timidly.

"Well for starters you all are an intelligence gathering team which is what we need right now. Also Tsunade-sama doesn't want Team 7 catching wind of this information."

"But why would the Raikage get upset about us helping?"

"Well you see the Raikage has dealt with Konoha in the past so he's well aware of Konoha's unique clans and their specialties. Each one of the clans you're from are very special and renown around other villages," replied Yamato.

"Of course we're renown, isn't that right Akamaru," said Kiba as he patted his four legged partner on the head.

"So then Tsunade-sama is killing two birds with one stone isn't she Yamato-taicho? She sends us to help track down the Raikage's missing team and we gather anything suspicious at the same time," said Shino.

"Exactly, Tsunade-sama doesn't care that the Raikage catches on. If he refuses help his lack of hospitality won't go over well with his villagers. So the we'll stay here to catch our breath and we'll be hitting Kumogakure in about 3hrs," said Yamato.

"Sounds good, I'm taking Akamaru to that stream we just passed."

"Mind if I come with you Kiba-kun?" Asked Hinata.

"Sure if want."

Hinata slowly followed him keeping her distance but staying close enough not to fall behind.

"You don't want to join them Shino?" Asked Yamato as he watched the two of them depart.

"No I'm not thirsty and besides those two need to settle some personal issues alone."

"Agreed, I have no idea what's going on between them but it's been an awkward trip," added Yamato.

Kiba lead the way to the small stream with Akamaru and Hinata not far behind. Hinata looked at Kiba's back as she followed him quietly. Neither one of them had said a word, the only sound that could be heard were their footsteps and Akamaru's panting. Hinata had wanted to talk to Kiba alone but she hadn't gotten the chance since they were sent on a mission right away. Now she had a perfect opportunity, but her timid behavior was getting the best of her.

"Don't fall behind Hinata," said Kiba.

"Yes Kiba-kun I'm coming," replied Hinata as she picked up her pace.

She caught up to him and slowly turned her head to look at him. She could see the bruising and discoloration he had around his right eye. She looked away and felt horrible; she had done nothing to help Kiba. All she had done was let him down. She had hurt him more with her betrayal than Shikamaru had with his fist. After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence they reached the stream. Akamaru barked loudly and ran around Kiba.

"Yeah I know you're excited, go ahead and cool off Akamaru."

The large ninken ran towards the water and began to drink. Kiba smirked and sat down on a large bolder not far from the edge of the stream. He looked at Hinata who was still standing in silence.

"So what are you just going to stand there Hinata?"

Hinata turned around nervously at Kiba, without saying a word she walked towards him. He scooted himself to the side allowing her room to sit. She sat down on the boulder next to her teammate but she remained silent. Kiba gave her a questionable look, Hinata was never much of a talker but she was acting strange.

"What's with you anyway?"

Hinata couldn't take the feeling of guilt anymore, it was tearing her apart.

"I'm sorry Kiba-kun," she whimpered.

Kiba turned quickly towards Hinata, confused by her remark.

"What are you apologizing for? I just asked you what's wrong."

"No I'm sorry about everything, that black eye you have is my fault," whispered Hinata.

Kiba looked at the young Hyuga surprised to hear her say something so bold.

"This isn't your fault Hinata. This is what I get for getting piss drunk and acting like an idiot. Besides this is Shikamaru's doing, not yours.

"What you're saying may be true Kiba-kun, but I made things worse by not standing by you. I humiliated you in front of all our peers. I shouldn't have interfered with you and Naruto-kun…"

"Enough!"

Hinata winced and closed her eyes at her teammates harsh tone. Kiba looked at Hinata's reaction; he realized he had been a little too rash. He felt horrible for snapping at her, he let out a deep sigh doing his best to calm down.

"Look I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about the party Hinata, please just drop it."

"Kiba-kun, please don't shut down on me, not right now," pleaded Hinata.

"Just stop it already!" Snapped Kiba as he grabbed Hinata by her shoulders.

Tears filled her eyes as she looked desperately at him; he looked so distant. He tighten his grip on her; he clenched his teeth in frustration.

"Why do you keep doing this Hinata? I don't understand what it is you want from me! One minute you're all about Naruto. You defend him no matter what, but now you're telling me you were wrong for doing that? Can't you at least make up your mind instead of changing it constantly just to make others happy!"

Warm tears trickled down Hinata's round face and onto the fabric of her pants. She cried softly feeling hopeless; she had failed one of her dearest friends. Suddenly she felt Kiba relax, he released her shoulders and cupped her face.

"Look I got a black eye, and a crushed ego,it's no big deal, I'll survive," said Kiba.

He wiped Hinata's tears from her porcelain face and pulled some of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry if I scared you, it's just that my behavior at the party wasn't my greatest moment. I honestly don't want to relive it through a conversation."

"What about when we get home? Naruto kun is…"

"I'll deal with him when the time comes, but for now we need to concentrate on the mission at hand."

"Kiba-kun…"

"The next time we meet it will be just him and I, don't interfere, alright?"

Hinata slowly nodded her head as she wiped the remaining tears from her face. Kiba stood up and walked towards the stream. Akamaru's barking could be heard in the distance. Suddenly something caught Kiba's attention and he looked up and dashed quickly towards his canine companion's barking. Hinata noticed Kiba's sudden change in behavior and without saying a word she followed him. Light splashing is all that could be heard as they both ran swiftly on the water's surface. They reached the other side of the steam were Akamaru was running around frantically and barking. Kiba knelt down and listened to his partners rapid barking.

"I can't believe we missed this Akamaru! We've been tracking since we left Konoha, why didn't we catch this?!"

"What's wrong Kiba-kun?"

"Akamaru's picked up on three large chakra signatures heading towards Konoha. However they aren't fresh anymore."

"Well maybe it's a team of shinobi that have business with Konoha."

"No I doubt it. The path they took isn't the normal route to Konoha, so why take an unknown route if they have friendly business to take care of?"

"Well just because it's an unknown path doesn't mean they're a possible threat," said Hinata politely.

"I'd believe that too if it wasn't for their fourth member," said Kiba coldly.

"I don't understand I thought you said it was three chakra signatures so that would mean a team of three not four."

"You're right three chakra signatures for three living individuals, but the fourth individual is dead."


	15. Chapter 15: Unspoken name

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Sakura followed Shikamaru up a flight of stairs that led to his old hangout. She carried their drinks while Shikamaru carried their food. The weather was actually very beautiful, and the heat wasn't unbearable like it had been the day before. They finally made it to the top and were greeted by a small bench and table that were under a small canopy.<p>

"Wow I haven't been up here in years," said Sakura as she followed Shikamaru to the table.

"Yeah I don't get to come out here much myself anymore, my schedule is always packed. To think I use to complain about things being troublesome when I was younger. If only I knew what I know now I wouldn't have complained as much," muttered Shikamaru.

Sakura giggled at Shikamaru as she placed their drinks on the table.

"I know what you mean we aren't kids anymore," agreed Sakura as she placed her hands on her belly.

"Yeah, anyhow I'm sorry I dragged you out here to eat. It's just that I really need to talk to you about a few things and I wanted to do it in private."

"I figured there was something behind this little trip. I know you wouldn't do something like this just for the exercise Shikamaru, that would be far too troublesome," giggled Sakura.

"Heh am I really that predictable?"

"Just a little, so what's on your mind?" Asked Sakura as she opened her breakfast bento.

Shikamaru watched the pink haired kunoichi as she wasted no time in eating her breakfast. He looked at his own food and let out a sigh.

"For starters I don't want you to get all worked up over this ok? The last thing I need is you getting stressed."

"What's this all about?"

"It's about what happened to Team 7's last night while they were on patrol. Plus there a few other things that have come to my attention."

Sakura looked up from her food as she gave Shikamaru a questionable look.

"Some trespassers tried to gain access to the village last night, they were intercepted by Ino."

Sakura dropped her chopsticks and look at Shikamaru with fear and concern in her eyes.

"Oh my god, is she alright Shikamaru?"

"Physically shes fine she just has a few scrapes and bruises, but I think she suffered mentally more than anything."

"What happened exactly?"

"She was surrounded by three men. She was able to take two down by herself, but the last one posed more of a problem for her. That asshole had the nerve to try and take advantage of her. Luckily he didn't have the chance to do much but grope her. Naruto came just in the nick of time. That's why Ino had Naruto's jacket, he gave it to her since there was nothing left of her top," said Shikamaru.

"Ino…" whispered Sakura.

"She lost it this morning Sakura. She broke down when I started asking her questions about last night. I didn't know what to do or what to say, emotions aren't my forte. After some convincing she told me what happened, and if I was mad at her. I was at a loss for words I couldn't believe she'd think I'd be upset at her. Honestly that would be the last thing I would ever do," said Shikamaru as he played with his food.

He looked up and Sakura and sighed.

"It just amazes me how she didn't snap sooner. She held everything in until she got to my place, that's when reality hit her."

"She thought about completing her mission before she thought of herself," said Sakura as she looked down at her food.

Women had it a little harder than men when it came to being shinobi. They were often seen as weak or were looked at as potential prizes to their enemies. At a young age kunoichi's were taught to use their feminine features to lure and fool their opponents. Above all kunoichi's were told that being women didn't make them weaker; they were trained to finish a mission, no matter what. The thought of what could have happened to Ino if Naruto wasn't there was sickening. Sakura clenched her stomach, if it weren't for the tiny life growing inside her she'd stop eating. Shikamaru noticed Sakura's discomfort; he knew all too well how she felt. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"It's alright Sakura you of all people should know how strong and dominate Ino is. She's a control freak and there's no way she's going to let some piece of shit take her power away from her. I know she fought the whole time and she didn't let them control her with fear. What happened afterwards was expected, she didn't have adrenaline and the constant reminder of the mission driving her. She's safe at my place fast asleep, so don't worry okay," reassured Shikamaru.

"You're right Shikamaru Ino is strong, I just wish I had been there to help her out," said Sakura as she clenched her fist.

You and me both Sakura, you and me both. Anyhow I was able to get more details from Ino before she went to sleep. Once she realized I wasn't disappointed in her she settled down and shared some rather interesting information with me."

"What else did you learn?"

"Ino reported to Tsunade-sama that these shinobi were under the impression that Naruto wouldn't be in Konoha. So it looks like we have a spy on our hands."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat; she clenched the fabric of her shirt above her heart as she listened to Shikamaru.

"Oh my god Shikamaru do you think that's true?"

"Yes, but I personally don't think they're occupation is anywhere near a professional spy."

"What do you mean?"

"Well since the war ended our trading negotiations with other villages are more open. So I'm thinking we're dealing with more than one individual, they're probably just civilians from neighboring villages. That would explain how the intruders Ino ran into were given false information. No real spy collecting information would ruin something so important."

"So you're saying that people coming to Konoha to trade are spying on Naruto?"

"Basically but they aren't spying on him directly, they're probably just gossiping with Konoha's villagers, then they share what they've gathered with their employer. However I can't see someone that's a real threat using civilians to gather information, it's too sloppy and it isn't very reliable. Then again no one would suspect that, it would also be rather difficult to hunt down the individuals," said Shikamaru as he took a bite of his food.

Sakura grew concerned at the thought of someone snooping around their village inquiring about Naruto's whereabouts. Her jade eyes widen at the thought of people sharing information with anyone that asked.

"Shikamaru what if they find out about the baby? A good amount of villagers know thanks to Kiba's mother. She's made it her personal mission to spread the word about me expecting."

Shikamaru hit his chest to help his food go down easier; he was caught off guard with Sakura's remark.

"I wasn't aware that Kiba told his mom," he coughed. "I had taken in account that word about your pregnancy would eventually spread, but thanks to this it's guaranteed that the news will spread like wildfire. I should have hit that bastard harder when I had the chance," muttered Shikamaru.

"Excuse me?" Asked Sakura.

"Not its nothing. I'm just talking to myself."

"So do you think I can be in danger?"

"Well I would like to think that most of the villagers would keep this news to themselves Sakura. Naruto is a hero after all and I find it hard to believe that people would let foreigners in on something so personal and sensitive. I'm sure everyone would think of you and the baby's safety first over gossip. So we'll just have to have faith in our villagers for now."

Sakura slowly nodded her head at Shikamaru. She knew he was trying to reassure her but she couldn't help but worry. She couldn't believe this was happening, the timing was horrible. There was a silence the swallowed them both as they sat motionless under the shade. Suddenly the silence was shattered by Sakura's stomach growling. She blushed and realized she was still hungry since she hadn't eaten much. Shikamaru snapped out of his intense deliberations at the sound. He looked over at Sakura and smirked at her.

"I know you're hungry Sakura so stop worrying and eat alright. Don't you remember what I told you before I started sharing all this with you?"

"Not to worry," said Sakura slowly.

"Exactly, there's nothing to worry about. I've got everything under control. I'm sharing all this with Naruto so with his strength and my wits nothing's going to happen to our loved ones, or our village," said Shikamaru as he tapped right temple with his pointer finger.

Sakura smiled as she looked at Shikamaru, he had a point, his intelligence always gave Konoha an edge. What they all faced was daunting but she knew everything would be alright. Besides she had to do her part and protect her unborn child. Shikamaru's statement brought a sense of calm over her. He was right as always, she had faith in his smarts and above all she had faith in Naruto.

* * *

><p>A small gust of wind blew Hinata's midnight blue hair across her face. The small breeze did little to relieve the suffocating humidity she and her teammates found themselves in. She and Kiba stood motionlessly on the surface of the calm stream as Akamaru barked at his master.<p>

"So this team Akamaru is picking up on has four members instead of three?" Asked Hinata.

"Yeah it was," said Kiba as he sniffed the air.

"Well maybe they lost a teammate on a mission. Perhaps they were heading to Konoha for assistants."

"No there's no way they'd be carrying a body that's been dead that long with them. Plus Kumogakure is closer than Konoha so why'd they skip a closer village if they needed help?"

"I suppose you right Kiba-kun but I'm confused, we've been tracking this whole time for this very reason. How is it that both you and Akamaru missed their scent?" Asked Hinata timidly.

"It's this fucking humidity. If the rain wasn't so damn heavy the scent would have stood out more, but it's been fucking pouring! Plus the ground is so damn hot it's disrupting the length of time the scent stays in the air. Basically these conditions are a nightmare for Akamaru and myself," snapped Kiba.

Hinata jumped and fiddled with her hands as she looked away from Kiba.

"I'm sorry Kiba-kun I'm not blaming you or Akamaru. I should have done a better job with my Byakugan," whispered Hinata.

"This is no one's fault so stop apologizing Hinata. We need to get back to Yamato-taicho and Shino. They need to know about this so let's get going."

"Right Kiba-kun."

"Akamaru lets go," ordered Kiba as he and Hinata dashed towards their teammate's location.

The large ninken ran over a shallow end of the stream and faded into a blur as he bolted next to Kiba and Hinata. All three of them disappeared from the stream leaving behind only tiny ripples on the water's surface.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru held a grocery basket as Sakura walked the aisles of her favorite grocery store. He stayed close to her and watched people's reactions when Sakura walked by. He was quick to make his presence known if someone focused on her for too long. Sakura seemed oblivious when it came to the extra attention she was getting; she was too focused on the grocery list she had written. Shikamaru decided it was better this way. He was afraid that if she noticed all eyes on her she would worry even more about someone finding out about the baby. Sakura came by and dropped a few vegetables into the basket Shikamaru held.<p>

"Carrots, snap peas, and potatoes, this is for Naruto's place right?" Asked Shikamaru sarcastically.

"Ha ha very funny," said Sakura as she playfully pushed Shikamaru. "I know this isn't his normal choice in food but he isn't doing the shopping. Besides he needs to be eating better anyway. Honestly if he's in such good shape while eating nothing but ramen imagine what he'll be like with a healthier diet."

"Fair enough but don't kill him ok. A rapid change in his diet could send a shock through his system."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Shikamaru and went back to her shopping. She was doing her best to relax, just like Shikamaru had recommended. Deep down Sakura knew he was right; worrying wasn't going to solve anything, nor was it good for the baby. She knew the best thing she could do for her child was calm down and let Naruto and the others handle things. Sakura slowly made her way towards the meat section of the store. She had decided she was making Naruto nikujaga for dinner so she needed some thinly sliced beef. She arrived at her destination, and after looking at several packages she found her desired cut of meat. Sakura turned around looking for Shikamaru but he was nowhere in sight.

"Ino's right if you leave this guy alone for too long he wanders off. Oh well I'll just keep getting a few small things on my list. I'm bound to bump into him anyway, this store isn't that big_."_

Sakura walked down an aisle keeping an eye out for Shikamaru, but instead of finding him she found a pink haired women with a set of jade eyes like hers.

"Mom?" Asked Sakura rather surprised.

"Sakura, I didn't expect to see you here," replied Hanako as she embraced her daughter.

"Well Naruto doesn't have any food at his place so I figured I do some shopping," said Sakura as she hugged her mother back.

"Oh is that so, does that mean he's here then with you?" Inquired Hanako as she looked around the store.

"No he's at home sleeping. Team 7 was assigned to border patrol yesterday so he had a long night."

"I'm sure Tsunade-sama isn't allowing you to participate with Team 7 right?"

"Of course mother, Team 7 has found a replacement to fill in for me. Ino was chosen, so it's official. I'm not doing anymore missions, nor will I be helping at the hospital."

"Thank goodness, I knew you wouldn't be going on mission but I'm also relieved you won't be working at the hospital."

Sakura looked at her mother confused.

"I understand the job is stressful mom but it isn't that bad. Why are you relieved?"

"Well honey I know you love working there and all but it looks like there's something going around, everyone is getting sick."

"Oh well I was aware of that but I didn't think it was that serious," said Sakura as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Well you're pregnant Sakura so everything no matter how insignificant you might think it is can turn into something serious. The last thing we need is you coming down with something," said Hanako.

"I suppose you're right mom, I never thought of it like that."

"Of course I'm right, I'm your mother aren't I? Just make sure you stay indoors and take care of yourself."

"Don't worry mom, I'll be alright."

Hanako gave her daughter a genuine warm smile. Seeing her mother's inviting expression made Sakura sincerely happy. Her relationship with her mother was always rocky, mostly because Hanako never accepted Sakura being a kunoichi, nor was she please with her daughter's relationship with Naruto. The night of the party had been the turning point for both mother and daughter. Hanako finding Sakura and Naruto in the heat of passion was probably one of the best things that could have happened to their mother daughter relationship. At the moment Sakura was mortified to be exposed so awkwardly, however it allowed her and her mother to really talk things through. Sakura was finally able to express her love for Naruto, and her heartache from Sasuke. Hanako listened and finally understood her daughter's choices as a kunoichi, and as a woman. It had been years since her mother was so warm and loving with her and Sakura couldn't be happier.

"Good I have faith in your ability to keep yourself healthy Sakura. Now I've been meaning to talk to you about Naruto."

"Naruto, well what do you want to know?" Asked Sakura curiously.

"Well I want to know what he plans to do when it comes to supporting you and the baby. If you're grocery shopping for his apartment does that mean you'll be moving in with him eventually?"

Sakura's eyes widen at her mother's blunt question, the last thing She wanted was an audience.

"Really mom of all places you want to talk about this here," whispered Sakura as she looked around making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Sakura I thought you and I had come to terms about this pregnancy. I've accepted a lot of things and rather quickly too. The least you can do is answer my questions," scolded Hanako.

"Look mom I'm sorry, you're absolutely right but I don't want to be talking about this in public."

Hanako observed her daughter; she was confused at her skittish behavior.

"Sakura you seemed very adamant when we talked the other night about being happy you were carrying Naruto's child. I would imagine you'd be eager to discuss these issues. Why in the world are you acting on edge, is everything alright?"

Sakura's turned towards her mother; there was no use in lying to her.

"Well there are a few things we need to talk about mom, but not here. Please believe me when I say that I'll fully explain everything later."

"Fair enough Sakura, I respect your decision. Please just promise me you'll bring Naruto with you, I need to speak to him."

"I will mom, maybe we can get together later on this week?"

Hanako nodded her head and looked behind Sakura as someone walking towards them grabbed her attention.

"Oh well now look who's coming this way," said Hanako.

Sakura turned around to see who her mother was referring too. She saw Shikamaru looking around the store; obviously he was looking for her.

"Shikamaru over here!" Yelled Sakura.

Shikamaru turned his head and spotted Sakura. He walked over to her and did a double take when he noticed she was standing next to her mother. He had seen Hanako a few times talking to his mom, but he rarely talked to her.

"Nara Shikamaru, I haven't seen you in ages you've gotten so tall," said Hanako as she looked Shikamaru over. "How's your mother doing?"

"Oh she's doing alright. She's just been busy helping Yamanaka-san with their shop lately."

"Well that's good to hear. Are you doing some shopping for your mother then?"

"Actually I'm here with your daughter. I asked Sakura earlier this morning if she needed any help with anything today since Naruto is sleeping."

"That's very sweet of you Shikamaru. I appreciate you taking the time to help my daughter with her errands."

"Oh no thanks needed ma'am it's my pleasure," replied Shikamaru politely.

Hanako smiled and placed her hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Oh Shikamaru you really are quite a catch, the Yamanaka family is going to be so lucky to gain such a sweet son in law."

"Uhm..th..thank you ma'am," said Shikamaru nervously.

His face reddened at the sound of marriage. He was comfortable with his relationship with Ino, but she was always hinting at wanting more. It had taken Shikamaru forever to ask her out, god knows how long it would take him to propose.

"I have yet to speak to my own son in law," said Hanako as she eyed her daughter.

"Mother, Naruto hasn't even asked me to marry him yet," said Sakura as she tried to hush her mother.

"Well he should seeing you're already pregnant. I see it only fitting that he asks for your hand in marriage," argued Hanako.

"Mother please we'll add this to our list of things we need to discuss later on this week okay," pleaded Sakura.

Hanako saw Sakura's flushed face, she couldn't help but giggle at her daughter.

"Honestly Sakura you're getting all worked up over something as innocent as marriage. You and Naruto have clearly been doing things married couples do in their bed..."

"Okay mom I get the point we'll talk later."

"Alright then Sakura if you insist. Just think honey one day you'll be able to tease your son or daughter just like this," said Hanako as she kissed her daughter on the forehead. "I'll leave you two alone to continue your shopping. I have a few more errands to run myself. Please call me later Sakura so we can set up a date to continue this conversation," said Hanako as she walked off to continue her shopping.

Sakura and Shikamaru were left speechless as Hanako left to finish her errands. Sakura let out a sigh of relief as soon as her mother was out of sight; she looked up at Shikamaru. He still looked embarrassed and Sakura knew she probably looked the same. She placed the package of meat into the basket Shikamaru held; the added weight brought him back to reality. He looked down at Sakura and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I've said it time and time again, women are extremely troublesome, especially mothers," muttered Shikamaru.

"I couldn't agree with you more Shikamaru," sighed Sakura.

* * *

><p>Shizune walked quickly down the main corridor of the Hokage Tower. She was carrying a large manila folder filled with paperwork. She reached Tsunade's office and opened the door. She walked inside to find Tsunade drinking some green tea while reading some documents. She approached Tsunade's desk waiting for her to acknowledge her presence. After a short time Tsunade put down her reading material and looked up at Shizune.<p>

"What have you brought for me now Shizune?" Asked Tsunade.

There was a hint of dread in the Hokage's voice; she hated meaning less paperwork.

"Yes well I have information regarding the cadaver found by Team 7," squeaked Shizune as she placed the new paper work on the desk.

Tsunade changed her mood and looked rather interested in what Shizune had to say.

"Well what is it?" Asked Tsunade.

"Oh yes well we have an autopsy scheduled for tomorrow since our medical examiner's workload is a little full today. Just as you requested this will be a full autopsy with thorough toxicology tests. Also Inoichi and his team have come back from their previous mission. They are on their way to speak to you and from there the interrogation of our current prisoners will begin."

"Good maybe we can see if we're dealing with the same problem as the Kazekage. Is that all you have Shizune?"

"Oh no there is one other thing Tsunade-sama. The hospital has been getting numerous cases of people coming down with flu like symptoms. I know it isn't anything to be concerned about, but perhaps we should look more into this and provide some antidotes," said Shizune.

"No you're right even you got sick earlier in the week. Go ahead and start coming up with an antidote, as soon as it's done start administering it to the sick," said Tsunade.

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

Shizune promptly turned around and left the office. Tsunade picked up her tea and took a sip from it. She looked around her littered desk and sighed.

"I hope we finally get some answers," muttered Tsunade.

* * *

><p>The lack of warmth from Sakura's body stirred Naruto from his slumber. He reluctantly opened his eyes; slowly his surroundings came into focus. He yawned and rolled over to get a better look at his alarm clock; it was 1:15pm. Naruto groaned as he shoved his face deep within his pillow. He hated changing his sleeping habits, it was such a nuisance. After a few moments of groaning and complaining to himself Naruto dragged himself out of bed. The first thing he noticed was that the mess he had left on the floor this morning had been cleaned up. He saw his clothes folded neatly on his dresser. He sluggishly stood up and made his way out into the living room; there was no sight of Sakura anywhere.<p>

Naruto then made his way to the kitchen and opened his fridge. He wasn't welcomed by anything appealing just some leftover ramen and expired milk. He sighed at the dismal sight before him; he closed the door just to hear his stomach growl loudly. It was then that he noticed a note on his refrigerator door; he could tell from the hand writing that it was from Sakura. He read the note to himself and was relieved to know he'd have food in his cabinets and refrigerator soon.

Naruto decided to get dressed before Sakura got back. He walked to his bedroom and put on his pants and plain black T-shirt. He returned to his living room and plopped himself down on his couch. He folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling. His eyes felt heavy, he was still sleepy but he had so much on his mind. Sleep was the last thing he was thinking of. He decided to rest his eyes in an attempt to sort out his thoughts. He thought about his encounter with Tsunade earlier in the day, he still felt irritated by her shady behavior. Plus he was extremely worried at the thought of a spy in Konoha; he had to make sure Sakura was safe.

"**She's strong you know," whispered the Kyuubi.**

"Who Sakura-chan?" Yawned Naruto as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling before him.

"**Of course Sakura who else would I possibly be talking about," growled the Kyuubi.**

Naruto rolled his eyes at the Kyuubi's remark; he remained silent to see where the fox demon was taking this conversation.

"**I've never had a human confront me the way she did when I wasn't healing you. The look in her eyes was one to bargain with, she's such an aggressive female."**

"Yeah well Sakura-chan isn't your typical woman," replied Naruto with a smirk on his face.

"**No she's not and that's why I'm even more pleased that we managed to claim her as ours."**

"I know Kyuubi I totally agree with. However we have bigger things to think about, you've seen what's been going on, it's very unsettling. First we get hit with those three shinobi, then there's a reanimated corpse, not to mention that Baa-chan is hiding something."

"**I'm so disappointed in you Naruto, are you really that slow?" Chuckled the Kyuubi.**

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you know something then spit it out, I've had enough of being in the dark!" Snapped Naruto.

"**You know nothing of darkness boy, but fine I'll share with you what I have gathered. For starters those three shinobi reek of Kumogakure."**

"Kumogakure?" Asked Naruto rather confused.

"**Yes I'll never forget their stench."**

"When have you ever been near Kumogakure?"

**They tried many times to capture my last host so they could possess the eight and nine tails bijuu."**

"Your last host, you mean my mother?"

"**Yes, Kushina was a special kunoichi, not only was she a jinchuriki but she possessed the Uzumaki clan's unique chakra. She was a highly desired prize to most villages, but Kumogakure was the most determined to claim her as theirs."**

"Wait a minute I bet that's the team the Raikage lost."

"**Or so he says," snarled the Kyuubi.**

"So you think he sent them here on purpose and lied about them disappearing?"

**Yes that's exactly what I think Naruto. Their purpose was to drop off that corpse. I'm not sure why but I know you noticed its unique scent."**

"Unique? It was utterly disgusting. I've never smelt anything like that before."

"**It's the smell of sickness Naruto, that corpse was invested with disease."**

"Disease? Now I'm really confused none of this makes any sense," said Naruto as he ruffled his hair with both hands.

"**I agree that none of these things make any sense but that's all I know," yawned the Kyuubi.**

"I wonder if this is what Baa-chan was hiding from me, maybe she knew the Raikage was lying. If that's the case then why would she send Team 8 over there? I can't see her putting a team in danger on purpose, that isn't something Baa-chan would do," said Naruto.

"**If that's so why did you accuse her of endangering your team earlier today?"**

Naruto's mouth opened to argue but the realization of the Kyuubi's words hit him hard; he had no quick comeback. He couldn't deny the fox demon's observation, everything he had said was true; Naruto had accused Tsunade of purposefully endangering his team. The Kyuubi's harsh breathing was all Naruto heard as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I messed up. I was so pissed about her lying to me that I said things I shouldn't have. I made an ass of myself. I know Baa-chan would never endanger any of us on purpose."

"**Why are you trying to explain your actions to me, I could care less. I personally liked the verbal bashing you gave her. I think that Senju brat deserved it. She's such an intolerable women just like her grandmother was. Besides who cares if Team 8 is in trouble, that's the mangy mutt's team isn't it? It would be nice to see him get a good beating," snickered the Kyuubi.**

"Hey I may have a score to settle with Kiba but that doesn't mean I'd want any real harm coming to him," said Naruto.

"**You're right we need to rip him apart ourselves, we can't let someone else take that away from us."**

"Uh that's not what I meant," sighed Naruto. "Anyhow our business with Kiba isn't important right now. What's important is figuring out where to go from here. I really don't know where to begin, should I confront Baa-chan again?"

"**It should be obvious who can help us help you out," sighed the Kyuubi.**

"Who?" Asked Naruto.

"**Nara."**

Naruto's eyes widen at the sound of his best friend's name; how could he forget about Shikamaru?

"You're absolutely right! I have no idea why I didn't think of him sooner. Thanks Kyuubi you saved me a lot of time by stating the obvious."

"**I agreed that I would do everything in my power to keep Sakura safe. I'm merely keeping my word Naruto, don't read into this too much."**

"Sure whatever you say," chuckled Naruto.

Naruto felt the Kyuubi stiffen in agitation; he knew how much it hated friendliness, thanks, or praise. He had to admit he thought it was hilarious and every now and then he liked to see the demon squirm when Naruto was nice to him. Suddenly Naruto felt Sakura and Shikamaru approaching his apartment.

"**Now's your chance Naruto, listen to what Nara has to say, our mate and pup's safety is at stake," said the Kyuubi as its voice faded into Naruto's sub conscious.**

Naruto merely nodded his head without answering the Kyuubi. He got up from his couch and stretched. He made his way to the door and opened it to find Sakura holding her night bag in one hand and her set of keys to his apartment in the other. She let out a small gasp and as soon as she looked at Naruto she gave him an annoyed looked.

"You know I hate it when you do that Naruto. Why can't you open the door before I'm about to use my keys, it freaks me out every time," complained Sakura.

"Awe I'm sorry Sakura-chan. It's honestly hard for me to remember that bothers you. I'll try and make a mental note though, I need to have mercy on you from now on. Though I have to admit I'm going to miss that cute expression you get when you're spooked," teased Naruto.

"Oh please," replied Sakura as she jabbed Naruto playfully in his ribcage.

She passed her boyfriend and made her way to his bedroom. She paused for a moment and turned her head around.

"Just leave everything in the kitchen Shikamaru, I'll put everything away."

Naruto moved to the side to let Shikamaru come in. He had his hands full from his day of shopping with Sakura. Naruto helped Shikamaru with a few bags and led the way to his kitchen.

"Wow looks like someone had a wonderful day of shopping," chuckled Naruto.

"Yeah you owe me one," replied Shikamaru.

They placed all the groceries bags on Naruto's kitchen table and walked back to the living room. Sakura returned and smiled when Naruto met her gaze. She walked up to him and kissed him softly on the lips.

"You sure you don't need any help Sakura-chan?" Asked Naruto.

"No it's alright Naruto I'll take care of things."

She turned towards Shikamaru and gave him a warm smile.

"I want to thank you again Shikamaru for helping me out today. I managed to get more errands done with your help."

"It was nothing Sakura like I said earlier the pleasure was all mine," replied Shikamaru.

Sakura smiled once more and made her way to the kitchen, leaving both men alone.

"We need to talk," whispered Naruto.

"Agreed," answered Shikamaru.

They both slowly made their way outside Naruto's apartment. Sakura watched them leave; she held her breath, she couldn't help but wonder how Naruto would react to what Shikamaru had to say.

The summer air was warm and a light breeze blew softly by. Naruto closed the door behind him as he walked outside. He felt the warm pavement under his bare feet and he quickly followed Shikamaru who walked over to the staircase and sat down. Naruto sat right next to him and for a few moments the two best friends looked down on the village as people went about their days. Each one of those individuals knew nothing of the possible threat that hung over them.

"I heard about last night, I wanted to say thanks for saving Ino," whispered Shikamaru.

Naruto looked at his friend and lightly chuckled.

"It was nothing Shikamaru she's my friend too, I'd never let her get hurt, besides now were even," replied Naruto.

Shikamaru looked puzzled by Naruto's remark.

"How are we even?"

"I also heard something last night, if I recall it had something to do with Kiba leaving the village with a black eye."

"Oh so you heard about that," said Shikamaru. "Yeah well I couldn't let Kiba just run away after what he did to Sakura."

Naruto patted Shikamaru on the back and gave him a huge grin.

"That's so out of character for you, but I'm glad you did it, thanks Shikamaru."

"Well just like Ino is your friend Sakura is mine as well," replied Shikamaru.

"See we're even right?"

"Heh I guess so."

The two young men sat in silence; both of them were unsure of what to say next. After a few moments of silence Naruto spoke.

"I know you have more information up your sleeve from last night Shikamaru. So come on, what do you know?"

Shikamaru smirked at Naruto's blunt statement. He let out a low sigh as he continued to watch the unsuspecting villagers.

"You're right I do have other news, so listen closely. Ino told me something last night that she didn't think of telling you or Tsunade-sama. The only reason why she told me is because I kept asking her questions about her attackers."

"Well what is it?"

"All three of those shinobi were high ranking, at least jonin, yet none of them used any jutsu's or genjutsus on her. All they had over Ino was raw power and speed. Now that in itself is a little odd but what makes it an important piece of information is what I picked up from our mission in Suna."

"Suna, you mean our recon mission?"

"Exactly, our mission was to help Kazekage and his villages problem with rouge shinobi right?"

"Yeah."

"Well there's something else they weren't sharing with us. Two weeks before we arrived Suna was attacked by a team of shinobi from Kumogakure. None of them used any jutsu's of any kind, all they had was speed and strength, do you see where I'm going with this?" Asked Shikamaru.

"Those three we encounter last night were from Kumogakure too," said Naruto.

"Yeah that's what I'm thinking," replied Shikamaru.

"No they really are. The Kyuubi confirmed it by their scent. All three of them are indeed from Kumogakure. I personally think they're the team the Raikage reported missing."

"Well then this makes things much more interesting."

"Where did you dig this up anyway? I don't remember hearing that information on the mission," said Naruto.

"It was on our last day in Suna, remember that mini party we had? Well Temari had a little too much to drink and in an attempt to get closer to me she started leaking information. At first it didn't seem like it was important but I did inform Tsunade-sama about it. Now that everything is happening I'm glad I listened to that troublesome women," muttered Shikamaru.

"I know look at you, you're so irresistible that kunoichi give out valuable intelligence just to get near you," teased Naruto.

"Yeah well it's a good thing it happened."

"So then what happened to them? Obviously they were captured if Temari was telling you."

"The only other information she shared was that each one of those shinobi's minds were erased. That explains why they weren't using any special attacks. Suna's interrogating team was able to reverse the technique. Upon doing so they learned that the their last memories was of them leaving Kumogakure. They don't remember who could have possibly captured them and used them to do their dirty work," said Shikamaru.

"Their minds were erased, so they had no idea what they were doing."

"Basically, but I don't know the details on the technique that was used. It was more of a blocking or mind control technique since they still remembered who they were when the technique was released."

"So did Temari say anything about the shinobi that attacked Suna having a corpse in their possession?"

"No it looks like were the only ones left with a corpse."

"Well I learned that the body that Ino and I discovered was riddled with disease."

"Where did you find that out?"

"Well I knew there was something off about its scent. The Kyuubi explained that what I smelled was disease. That corpse reeked to high hell Shikamaru. I've never smelt anything that pungent before."

"Disease you say? You know people all over the villagers are getting sick, I wonder if these two things are connected."

"The enemy wants to attack us with the common cold? I don't believe that, this has to be just a coincidence."

"Don't be so sure Naruto, anything is possible. Also we can't forget about Konoha being infiltrated by spies."

"Spies, what now we have more than one?" Asked Naruto.

"It would seem so, I'm thinking it isn't our main concern at the moment, but yes people are inquiring information on your whereabouts."

"Why aren't you concerned about this Shikamaru? I don't want people I don't know asking questions about me," complained Naruto.

"I was telling Sakura that our potential spies are probably just visitors from other villages. They're asking Konoha's residents questions about you and your missions. Which should be no surprise since you're considered a hero to the entire shinobi world. The part that doesn't make sense is why someone would have normal civilians spy on you. It's obvious that once these individuals gather what they feel is valuable information they share it with their employer," said Shikamaru.

"So this isn't really spying it's more like gossiping? That is a shitty way to gather intelligence on someone," said Naruto.

"I'm not sure whether to see the enemy as a threat or as a nobody. Then again what kind of nobody would be able to catch the Raikage's shinobi right from under his nose," muttered Shikamaru.

"Yeah you got that right, so you told Sakura-chan all of this?"

"Yes but only certain things, she knows about the attack on Ino and our possible spies but that's it," said Shikamaru.

"Good I don't want her to worry too much."

"No worries Naruto Sakura should be fine. I made sure to put her mind at ease."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Anyhow I wasn't counting on the Kyuubi helping out so there's a good amount of information that needs to be brought to Tsunade-sama's attention. It's just my luck to have to do this on my day off," muttered Shikamaru. "You want to come along?"

"No Baa-chan and I had it out this morning. I'd rather not see her."

"That's right how could I forget. Ino told me you two had a yelling match. You went and accused her of lying to you guys. So do you think what we've gathered is what she was hiding from you?" Asked Shikamaru.

Naruto looked up at the sky and sighed; he watched the clouds as they moved slowly with the wind.

"I want to say yes Shikamaru, but I know deep down that the answer is no," said Naruto solemnly.

Shikamaru slowly shook his head from side to side. He looked at Naruto; he knew he couldn't sugar coat things for him any longer.

"You know what Tsunade-sama is hiding deep down Naruto, stop lying to yourself," said Shikamaru.

Naruto turned his head sharply at his best friend; his facial expression changed from surprised to frustration.

"Lying, what makes you think I'm lying to myself?! I may be able to read people but how should I know what she's hiding," demanded Naruto.

"You're lying to yourself because you're afraid of the truth Naruto. Even I know what this is all about. Stop thinking that he doesn't exists! Part of you still wants to see the good in him, but let's face it that part of him died long ago," snapped Shikamaru.

Naruto's face contorted in anger; he softly felt a growl build up in his throat.

"What makes you think this has to do with him!? You're just jumping to conclusions Shikamaru!" Snapped Naruto.

Shikamaru drew closer to Naruto unafraid of his friend's anger.

"I never jump to conclusions Naruto you should know that. He's always been a threat to us ever since the day he betrayed us. He didn't help Madera in the war, nor did he side with own his village. Instead he left to fulfill his own selfish ambitions! He's alive out there somewhere and I can guarantee you that Tsunade-sama is thinking the same thing! That's why you were left here and not sent out to help with the rest of the search parties. We need you here in the village in case of an attack!" Yelled Shikamaru.

"Just stop already!" Growled Naruto as he grabbed the cuff of Shikamaru's shirt.

"Not until you admit that he can be behind all of this. Don't you think it's odd the Raikage lied to Tsunade-sama about his missing party? You know how much he personally hates him. He probably knows he's behind all of this. If the Raikage were to tell Tsunade-sama the truth it would be our responsibility to take care of him once and for all. The Raikage's always thought we're weak when it comes to taking him out. I bet the Raikage is taking things into his own hands."

Naruto felt frustrated and upset, but Shikamaru had a point. He slowly let his friend go; he ran his fingers through his hair as he did his best to calm down. He felt Shikamaru's hand on his left shoulder; he turned around to meet his friends gaze.

"I'm sorry for coming off as an ass but we need to look at every possibility, especially with Sakura's condition."

"**Listen to Nara you fool," growled the Kyuubi.**

Naruto shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the Kyuubi's bellowing voice. He noticed Shikamaru was giving him a questionable look. Naruto looked at his friend and gave him a weak smile.

"No it's alright, sorry if I got all defensive, I just don't like talking about him. However you're right, I need to grow up and realize he could have a hand in this."

"Good, all I'm asking is that you take this into consideration, it's just a possibility."

"You didn't tell Sakura-chan about this did you?"

No of course not, I'd never tell her something that would upset her in her current condition. Now look I'm talking to Tsunade-sama about all of this alright. You keep your distance from her and just continue to report after border patrol. We can't have her catching wind of our assumptions okay? I'll handle speaking with her. If I think of anything else you'll be the first to know Naruto," said Shikamaru as he made his way down the stairs.

"Thanks Shikamaru I'll do the same," replied Naruto.

He watched Shikamaru until he could no longer see him. He stayed alone of the top of the stairs contemplating everything in his mind. He heard his front door open and close. Sakura quietly made her way towards him and without saying a word she slowly sat herself down next to him.

"I heard you guys arguing, is everything ok?" Asked Sakura.

"Oh we weren't arguing Sakura-chan we just had a verbal disagreement," replied Naruto with a sheepish grin.

"That's the same thing you goof, but I'm being serious, is everything okay?"

Naruto looked at his girlfriend's concerned face; her vivid jade eyes were fixed on his every move.

"Of course everything is alright Sakura-chan, there's no need for you to worry."

"Shikamaru told me everything Naruto. I'm worried about the baby's safety."

Naruto turned around and lightly grabbed Sakura by the shoulders.

"Now you listen to me Sakura-chan I would never allow anyone to hurt you or our baby. Rest assured the both of you are safe."

Sakura let out a low sigh as she smiled at Naruto. She leaned in towards him and placed her lips gently onto his. Naruto's body relaxed as her soft lips pressed up against his; he pulled her close and deepened their kiss. Sakura ran her fingers sensually through his hair. Kissing him always made everything better. She slowly pulled away and looked into his cerulean blue eyes; they seemed troubled. Before Sakura could say anything Naruto Spoke.

"Why don't you go back inside its much cooler in there."

"Okay, but what about you?"

"I'm going to stay out here a bit longer, but I'll be inside soon," said Naruto as he gently kissed Sakura's forehead. "I love you Sakura-chan."

"I love you too Naruto," said Sakura as she reluctantly stood up and made her way back inside. She paused at the entrance of the apartment and watched Naruto as he sat silently on the floor.

_I wanted to talk to him about the conversation I had with my mother earlier, but it looks like I'm going to have to wait. Thought Sakura._

The last thing she wanted to do was stress Naruto out. She'd set up a date to talk to her mother later on in the week. She'd tell Naruto in a few days. Sakura went inside and closed the door behind her. Naruto heard the door close and he let out a loud sigh of relief. He hated lying to Sakura, he was glad she hadn't inquired more about his chat with Shikamaru. He hung his head low and remembered what Shikamaru had told him. The thought of his friend's assumption being true made Naruto's blood boil, he ran both his hands through his hair out of frustration. Naruto clenched his teeth and softly spoke.

"Sasuke…"


	16. Chapter 16: Leaving so soon

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Two days had passed since Naruto had last spoken with Shikamaru. Nothing big had happened since then and Naruto was growing uneasy with the lack of activity. Tsunade still hadn't brought up anything new and the young Jinchuriki did his best to continue keeping his mouth shut. He knew Shikamaru wouldn't fail him when it came to talking to the busty Hokage. Naruto kicked a stray pebble on the ground as he walked home from border patrol. He had his hands deep in his pockets as he looked around the village. Early risers were starting their day while Naruto was ending his. He was greeted by warm smiles and pleasant hellos as he walked near shops that were opening for the day. No one had asked him about Sakura's condition or how Naruto planned on dealing with their current situation. He knew that by now most everyone in Konoha had heard the news. However it seemed that instead of putting him on the spot villagers and fellow shinobi remained quiet. He was happy he had earned everyone's respect; his feelings were really being taken into consideration.<p>

Naruto yawned as he made his way up to his apartment; all he wanted was to crawl into bed and go to sleep. He unlocked his front door and slowly walked inside. A shade of pink caught his attention and he looked up quickly to find Sakura waiting for him on the living room couch. There she sat wearing his black T-shirt and white cotton panties. Naruto looked at her a bit alarmed; he wasn't expecting to find her up, let alone waiting for him.

"Is everything ok Sakura-chan?" Asked Naruto.

The pink hair kunoichi saw her blonde boyfriend's concern and smiled at him in reassurance.

"Oh of course Naruto. I was just so nauseated I couldn't sleep any longer. So I decided to just wait for you to come home, sorry if I freaked you out."

"Oh ok, are you feeling better now?" Asked Naruto as he closed the front door.

"Yeah I am, even more so now that you're home," cooed Sakura.

"Heh and you say I'm the corny one," teased Naruto.

"Don't test me Mr. Uzumaki," warned Sakura.

She grabbed a pillow next to her and flung it at her boyfriend. Naruto nimbly dodge her playful attack, and moved in towards his girlfriend. The next thing Sakura knew she felt Naruto's weight on the couch next to her. Her tiny frame leaned in towards him and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Sakura snuggled into Naruto's side and she brought her legs up onto the couch. Naruto gently kissed the top of her head; he was glad to be home.

"How was border patrol?" Asked Sakura.

"Alright nothing new, just a really slow night."

"You sure, you aren't hiding something from me are you?"

Naruto looked down to find a pair of jade eyes fixed on him. He smiled and brought his hand up to cup Sakura's delicate face.

"Of course not Sakura-chan, everything's alright, I promise."

Sakura smiled at Naruto and leaned her face into his large warm hand.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I don't' want you to think that I don't trust you. I'm just so worried. Nothing has happened in the last two days. I'm not saying I want something to happen, it's just that waiting in the dark is horrible," said Sakura.

"I agree with you Sakura-chan but let me and Shikamaru do the worrying ok? I don't want you stressing yourself out. Besides you've got a lot on your plate already," said Naruto as he rubbed Sakura's stomach.

Sakura smiled and placed both her hands on Naruto's; she looked down at her belly and sighed softly.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you Naruto."

"What is it Sakura-chan?"

"We'll it's about my mother, I saw her when I went out with Shikamaru to buy groceries, she wants to talk to us."

"…"

"Now I know you've never really spoken to her before but we can't avoid this. I know your relationship with my mom isn't the greatest, and most of that is my fault. When we started dating I was so furious at her for not accepting you as my boyfriend that I shut her out of my life. Instead of being the better person and introducing you to her no matter what she thought I went and moved out and stopped talking to her. I'm so fortunate that my mom is back to being her old self. It seems her encounter with the Kyuubi opened her eyes. She's seen the error of her ways and she's willing to at least talk to you. However I have no idea how she'll treat you Naruto," said Sakura.

"Sakura-chan I don't want you blaming yourself for the kind of relationship I have with your mother. I could have approached her myself when we first started dating, but I never did. All that matters is that she's willing to give me a chance. So do you have any idea what she wants to talk about?" Asked the young Jinchuriki nervously.

"Well for starters she wants to know how you plan on supporting us and our new edition. I have to admit it is an important matter that we need to discuss together so we're in agreement before we see her," said Sakura.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief and grinned at his pink haired girlfriend.

"Okay that's a fair enough question. I was a little worried she'd want to talk about our last visit with her," said Naruto as a large blush covered his face.

"I think it's safe to say she's over that little incident."

"Well that's good to hear Sakura-chan."

"So do you know what you're going to say to my mom?"

"Well yeah, I've really been thinking about our situation."

"You have?" Asked Sakura as she peered at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I have."

Sakura stared in awe at the blonde shinobi next to her. She was rather surprised that Naruto was showing initiative. She enjoyed watching him show this type of behavior. Normally Naruto was more of the action type person; he wasn't one for planning and discussing. Sakura realized she hadn't replied to his remark. She snapped herself out of her trance by shaking her head quickly from side to side. She looked up at Naruto and found herself lost in his sea blue eyes.

"Are you alright Sakura-chan?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, I just wasn't expecting you to give me that kind of answer."

"Oh, well I am one for surprises," chuckled Naruto as he buried his nose in the crook of her neck.

Sakura squealed as she felt Naruto gently nip at her neck. She playfully pushed her lover away, even though she personally wanted him to continue his love bites.

"Well what have you been specifically thinking about then?" Asked Sakura.

"Well I couldn't help but noticed that you've been staying here the last couple of days. You even brought over your night bag that has quite a bit of clothes in it. Are you planning on just moving in with me Sakura-chan?" Asked Naruto nervously.

Sakura blushed profusely, she had in fact been thinking about it, but she was doing her best to avoid the topic of them living together.

"Oh well, I have thought about it Naruto," said Sakura slowly.

"You know I was meaning on asking you to move in with me anyway Sakura-chan. This was

even before I knew you were pregnant, so I'm all for the idea if you're okay with it."

"Why would you think I wouldn't be okay with the idea?"

"We'll my place isn't that big, and I've never had to live with anyone else before so I think I'd be difficult to live with. I'm set in my ways Sakura-chan, even though you've stayed with me before it's only been for a few days at a time."

"I love you Naruto, that's all that matters. I myself can be difficult as well you know. We'll just have to learn what it's like living together, that's all. It will be a new experience for the both of us, but there's nothing more I'd want than to live with you."

"You mean it Sakura-chan, that's great! I originally wanted you to move in with me since I pay nothing thanks to the 3rd Hokage providing this apartment for me. I figured you could move out of your apartment and together we could save up and later on move into a bigger place. Now with the baby on the way this idea works out even better!"

"It does Naruto, I wasn't sure how I was going to pay my bills and rent since I'm not working. I know Ino said I could work at her parents shop, but it probably wouldn't be paying me enough. I wouldn't be able to support myself on that pay alone."

"Well don't worry Sakura-chan I can take care of everything. Paying the bills won't be a problem even when we move into a bigger place."

"I guess you're right, we can even stay here after the baby is born if we have to. I know you said your place is small but a small crib can fit in the bedroom," said Sakura.

"Alright it's settled then you're moving in with me Sakura-chan," said Naruto as he hugged his girlfriend tightly.

Sakura hugged Naruto back; she felt relieved that at least their living arrangements were settled. She wasn't going to bring up what her mother had said about marriage though. When she had a chance she'd let her mom know not to bring that subject up as well. Even though they were expecting a child and would be living together Sakura felt marriage was a very big step. She wanted Naruto to ask her on his own accord, not because her mother wants him too.

"So how are we going to do this Naruto? I mean with me moving out and all?"

"Oh well that's easy we can ask everyone to help out."

"By everyone you mean Shikamaru, Ino, and Sai right?"

"Yeah but I also saw Team 11 this morning so I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping out"

"Oh so they're back already, I wonder if they were successful in finding any of the missing people, or perhaps some information on the team the Raikage lost."

Naruto said nothing since Sakura wasn't aware that the Raikage's missing team was in Konoha's custody. He simply looked at her and she continued to talk. Soon he realized his eyes were feeling heavier.

"Naruto?" Asked Sakura. "Naruto."

"Sorry Sakura-chan," replied Naruto. I'm so tired I started falling asleep while you were talking."

"You should just got to bed then," said Sakura.

"Yeah I think I will. Maybe you you should let everyone know what's going on," yawned Naruto.

"Sure Naruto, I can do that. I'm really not sleepy anymore anyway. For some reason lying down while I'm nauseated makes it even worse. I'll see if I can get a hold of Tenten while you sleep, besides getting some fresh air should do me some good," said Sakura.

She leaned in towards Naruto and kissed him softly on his whiskered cheek. Naruto smiled and stretched his arms out; he felt Sakura leave his side. He looked over and watched her as she stood up from the couch; she was running her fingers through her hair. She slowly walked away from Naruto swaying her hips back and forth in a hypnotic fashion. Her creamy thighs looked beyond inviting as Naruto watched her enter his room. His smiled widen; from now on a sight like this would be an everyday occurrence and Naruto couldn't be happier.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru yawned as he approached Tsunade's office door. It was still early in the morning and he was far from happy, reporting so early was troublesome. He slouched and stared at the closed door in front of him. He knew it was only a matter of time before he'd have to confront the Hokage about everything that was happening. He had last spoken to her after he had left Naruto's two days ago. He had informed her about everything he and Naruto had concluded. She dismissed him after he was done without commenting on his theory; he hadn't heard from her since.<p>

"Well no point in procrastinating, I might as well just get this over with," yawned Shikamaru.

He opened the door and slowly walked inside. Upon entering he noticed he wasn't the only one there to see Tsunade. Standing in front of her desk was Kakashi and Anko. Shikamaru made his way towards Kakashi and waited to see what Tsunade had to say. The 5th Hokage looked at everyone before her as she leaned her chin onto her clasped hands.

"I'm glad I was able to get all of you here under such short notice, thank you for responding so quickly. Now I have requested you three for specific reasons. However before I go into detail on that I'd like to brief you on certain events that have come to past. For starters I know all three of you are aware of the attack on the outskirts of the village a few days ago. We were left with three shinobi from Kumogakure and a dead body that was in their possession. The corpse was rather decomposed and it's been confirmed that it was the purpose for the attack on our borders," said Tsunade.

"So they were from Kumogakure?" Asked Kakashi.

"Yes, Shikamaru shared some information with me two days ago regarding their identities. Inoichi officially confirmed Shikamaru's findings once he finished his interrogation on all three captives."

"Now wait just a minute you mean to tell me that the Raikage had us on a wild goose chase then?! Snapped Anko.

"At first glance it would seem so, but we have proof that the Raikage was indeed unaware of his team's whereabouts," said Tsunade.

"So what were Inoichi's findings then Tsunade-sama?" Asked Kakashi.

"Well like I said before the Raikage isn't out to get us, his team was in fact on a mission to search for missing villagers. Instead of finding anyone they were captured and then placed under a mind altering jutsu. Their shinobi skills were blocked along with the knowledge of their home. Which explains why they used no jutsu or genjutsus on Ino. They were given a new mission that was imbedded in their minds. They knew what they were doing was wrong but their ability to stop their own actions were stripped away."

"So their new mission was to drop off the corpse inside Konoha," said Kakashi.

"Yes, I had a full autopsy with several test scheduled for the corpse. However extra precautions were made after I spoke to Shikamaru."

"What exactly did Mr. Logic tell you that had you change your previous plans with an autopsy?

I mean why in the world would you have to take precautions with one anyway?" Asked Anko.

"Why don't you enlighten us Shikamaru."

"If you insist," yawned Shikamaru."I informed Tsunade-sama two days ago about some interesting details Naruto shared with me. His heighten sense of smell was able to pick up on some crucial information. It looks like the corpse Tsunade-sama is talking about was riddled with disease. I warned her that the corpse was probably just an incubating vessel for a new virus strain. This is the information she took into accord and added extra precautions during the autopsy. Am I right so far Tsunade-sama?" Asked Shikamaru.

"As always Shikamaru you are precisely right, during the autopsy a swarm of flies burst from the chest cavity when a Y incision was made. Since we had a heads up the swarm of flies were easily contained. These insects were perfect carriers for this new virus strain since they were feeding on the infected flesh," said Tsunade.

"What's all this about a new virus, I wasn't even aware of the original," replied Anko.

"You haven't noticed fellow shinobi falling ill Anko? It's been all over the village," said Kakashi.

"Oh that, honestly it just looks like the flu. Are you all sure about this because it seems a little farfetched to me."

"No Anko it's all true I've had Shizune look into the structure of the virus and it isn't just a normal case of the flu. It's mutating at a rapid pace, so that verifies that it's being altered by who ever created it."

"Is there a cure for it?" Asked Kakashi.

"Yes, we're lucky that we've created a cure for the illness. However the fact that this dead body had a more powerful strain within it is undying proof that someone is manufacturing this somewhere," said Tsunade.

Anko's eyes widen and shivers traveled down her back. The color from her face drained, suddenly she looked nervous.

"No…" she whispered

"I'm sorry Anko but this is why I specifically summoned you. I need a specialist on Orochimaru and all his old hideouts. All this points to Kabuto using what he learned from Orochimaru when he was alive," said Tsunade.

"Curse that leech Kabuto, right when Orochimaru was destroyed he went and fused some of the cells with his. Now that wretched snake is still out there somewhere, why couldn't I have killed him during the war," muttered Anko.

"You know very well that Kabuto is just like Orochimaru. They work behind the scenes Anko. We had so much on our hands during the war and Kabuto took advantage of that and slipped through our fingers. Don't beat yourself up alright," said Kakashi.

"Anko, Kakashi, I want you both to investigate Orochimaru's old hideouts just in case. Since this is a recon mission I want the team to be small and you two are very capable of taking care of each other. Now there are three hideouts that we're aware of so get ready for departure and leave immediately. If you uncover any new information please send one of your ninken Kakashi."

"Yes Tsunade-sama," said Anko and Kakashi in unison.

They both left the room in a puff of smoke leaving Shikamaru alone with Tsunade.

"So I'm guessing you have something special in mind for me?" Asked Shikamaru.

"I most certainly do Shikamaru. I won't beat around the bush so I'll just say it, I know you're aware of Sasuke," said Tsunade softly.

Shikamaru cocked his head towards Tsunade and smirked.

"Yeah well sorry for not bringing it up sooner. I figured you'd fill me in on it when you were ready."

"I knew you'd figure things out sooner than later Shikamaru. I myself wasn't aware of Sasuke until the Raikage brought it to my attention a few weeks ago. He informed me that Sasuke is using the land of lighting as his new base. Of course the Raikage saw this as a huge insult. He told me he'd be taking care of Sasuke himself since Konoha is too weak to destroy him. So far he hasn't been able to track him down. Instead the Raikage has been losing his villagers and even his shinobi."

"So that's why you sent Team 8 to Kumogakure. You wanted Kiba to search for Sasuke."

"Yes I sent Team 8 over there for that specific reason. Each one of them are extremely excellent on tracking and gathering intel. They are aware that Sasuke is in the land of lighting, and I'm sure the Raikage wasn't pleased to see what type of team I sent to assist his searching attempts. I received a hawk from them yesterday stating they're heading back home. Hopefully they come back with some new leads that can help us come up with a plan of action. Sasuke is our responsibility, I won't have the Raikage be stubborn and try and take him out on his own!" Yelled Tsunade.

She slammed her fist on her table sending documents flying into the air. She slowly regained her composure and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. She noticed Shikamaru hadn't said a word and she cleared her throat to continue where she had left off.

"I'm going to need your help more than ever Shikamaru."

"So exactly what is it you want me to do?"

"For starters I want you to tell me what all these things have in common. We have all these tiny pieces to the puzzle and you're the only one that can put it together. Why would Sasuke be working with Kabuto again? He made it clear that he wanted to work alone after he abandoned all his ties with his allies and enemies during the war. So why form an alliance again, and why create an illness that can be so easily cured?" Asked Tsunade.

Shikamaru paced Tsunade's office in deep thought; he walked slowly taking all this information into consideration.

"We'll Sasuke still wants to destroy Konoha so I think he'd do anything to make his obsession a reality. So working with Kabuto isn't so farfetched. Now I don't know anything about viruses or anything medical but there is one thing I am sure of. Konoha is known for its excellent medical shinobi, and with someone like you being Hokage this village is renowned for its medical knowledge. We were the key to winning the war after all. When Madera tried to get the upper hand on us who did he attack?" Asked Shikamaru.

"He attacked all our medic shinobi's, and he targeted the captain's like Shizune," replied Tsunade softly.

"Exactly if you take out all the medical support there will be no one left to heal the injured. So I'm thinking Sasuke is trying to replicate the same tactic," said Shikamaru.

"I see, that does make sense, but the individuals that have been sick aren't just medic's. They're all types of shinobi."

Tsunade's voice trailed off when suddenly she became aware of something she had failed to notice before.

"All the victims have been shinobi, not a single person that's fallen ill is a civilian," said Tsunade.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

"So then there is a pattern here, this has to be what Sasuke wants. I'm going to need access to the files of the shinobi that have fallen ill. We need to find out exactly why they got sick. Plus we have to figure out why you were able to cure it so quickly. There needs to be something that we're missing," said Shikamaru.

"Agreed, I'll make sure Shizune goes over all her research again and again. We'll find out what that virus is hiding, I'm sure of it. Also I need you do something else for me Shikamaru."

"What?"

"I want your help keeping Naruto under control. As soon as he catches wind that Sasuke is involved in all of this he'll lose it. I can't afford to have him do something stupid."

"You make it sound so easy. He doesn't always listen to me you know, but I'll see what I can do. So I'm not supposed to tell him all this information right, because it's troublesome lying to him. I know I have a knack for hiding my true intentions but Naruto is hard to fool," complained Shikamaru.

"I know. The Kyuubi has really given him the upper hand now that Naruto has full control over it. As for lying to Naruto don't worry about it, you'll be researching everything you just requested so you'll be far too busy to deal with him. I'll inform him when the times comes, besides he'll be busy on a new mission," said Tsunade.

"You're sending him off despite everything that's happening, is that really wise?"

"I must admit my actions before were rushed. I must sound like such a hypocrite right now but I've realized that I can't afford to shelter Naruto. He's a shinobi after all I need him right now. Besides I'm sending him somewhere very close."

"Close?"

"Yes I'm sending him to Koka, it's only a half a day's travel from here so it's close enough for Naruto to still sense the safety of the village. So if he's needed he can be back in Konoha in no time, what with his speed and all."

"I see, and what about his position on border patrol?"

"I've already taken care of it."

"Alright then Tsunade-sama is there anything else you want me to do?" Yawned Shikamaru.

"No you're dismissed Shikamaru, I'll send Shizune with everything you need."

"Yes ma'am I'll be waiting in the library."

Tsunade watched Shikamaru leave her office slowly. Even though he complained often he was one of her best shinobi. She was relieved that she had his help; his intellect gave Konoha the upper hand. She knew he'd help her decipher Sasuke's plan. Shikamaru closed the door on his way out leaving Tsunade alone with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>It was early afternoon and Naruto nervously made sure everything in his apartment was in order. Sakura watched half amused as her boyfriend quickly paced back and forth in his living room. Sakura herself was a little tense but she had faith everything between her mother and Naruto would be alright. Sakura wanted Naruto to be as comfortable as possible so she told her mother to stop by his apartment. She figured it was better to talk here than at her mom's house or her apartment. Suddenly a soft knock was heard and Naruto froze; he looked nervously at Sakura.<p>

"Coming," said Sakura as she made her way to the front door.

She opened the door to find her mother on the other side smiling sweetly at her. Sakura turned to the side allowing her mother to come in. Sakura closed the door and lead Hanako into the living room where Naruto was waiting. He saw Sakura's mother and he quickly stood up straight and approached the pink hair women in front of him.

"Hello Haruno-san," said Naruto as bravely as he could.

The young jinchuriki held his hand out to shake Hanako's hand. She smiled at his polite gesture.

"I know we've never really spoken before Naruto, but I think we're past hand shaking don't you agree?" Asked Hanako.

She slowly approached Naruto and wrapped her arms around him. His eyes widen as he felt Sakura's mother draw him closer into a warm embrace.

"I'm such a hypocrite Naruto," whispered Hanako. "I never gave you a chance all because of the fear I have for what's inside you. It was wrong of me to think I could force my daughter to abandon her love for you just because of my own personal feelings towards you. All I ever wanted was to keep my daughter safe from danger and heartache, but I failed miserably and instead I forced Sakura to draw away from me. Our relationship suffered so much and it was all my doing. I never bothered to learn more about you, or Sasuke. Sakura told me everything and with her outburst of kept in feelings I learned just how wrong I've been. So please Naruto I ask you to forgive me for being an old fool."

Naruto didn't know what to say or do; this was the last thing he thought would be happening. He really expected a slap from her along with a long drawn out lecture, but not this. Sakura watched silently, she couldn't believe her eyes or ears. In all honesty Sakura had no idea how her mother would treat Naruto, especially since their last encounter. Still, seeing her mother embrace her boyfriend was so unexpected. Hanako slowly pulled herself away from Naruto and looked into his eyes.

"I know now that you truly love my daughter Naruto, the night I caught you too making love confirmed it for me. Never have I seen two individuals show their love for one another so passionately. I've seen with my own eyes the destruction and terror the Kyuubi can bring. However I never thought I'd see that same beast protecting my own daughter," said Hanako.

"Haruno-san I…"

"It's alright, you don't have to explain yourself or your actions Naruto. My timing was horrible and I should have treated the situation differently."

Sakura approached her mother and touched her shoulder lightly.

"Why don't we all sit down," said Sakura.

Hanako took a seat in a small arm chair while Naruto and Sakura sat on the couch.

"Now then I promise I won't take up too much of your time. I know you still must be tired Naruto, Sakura told me about your graveyard shifts on border patrol."

"Oh, well I'm alright Haruno-san really, I got all the sleep I need," said Naruto sheepishly.

"Yeah mom it's alright, Naruto recovers much faster than a normal individual would. I can guarantee you he's in top form right now."

"I see, well then there are certain things I'd like to have cleared up if you two don't' mind," said Hanako.

"Of course not mom what's on your mind?"

"For starters where will you be living Sakura?"

"Well, I'll be living here with Naruto, he asked me to move in with him today. We figured we can save up and move into a bigger place once the baby is born."

"Good and speaking about saving where will you both be getting extra income from? Babies are extremely expensive. How do you plan on supporting each other and a child?"

"Well actually Hanako-san I was recently promoted to jonin so I'll be making enough to support myself, Sakura-chan, and the baby. Plus I've set aside some money from past mission and I have quite a bit saved up just in case," replied Naruto.

"That's right mom Naruto won't have a problem supporting us. Besides I'll be working with Ino at her parents flower shop so even I will still be contributing some money."

"We'll I'm happy you'll still be working Sakura, and I'm glad it's far from the hospital. As for you Naruto it's good to know that you've been saving up, I like that quality in a man."

The young couple smiled at each other, they were happy they had Hanako's approval. Suddenly Sakura noticed her mother's expression become somber; Hanako looked seriously at the youths before her.

"Now then Naruto answer me this question. What would happen to Sakura and the baby if you were to die on a mission?"

"Mother!"

"This is a very serious question Sakura, you both are shinobi and you of all people should know that each mission you take can be your last," said Hanako sternly.

Sakura's heart sank as her mother's words ripped at her heart. She was referring to her father, Sakura had no memories of him, all she knew was that he left on a mission and never returned home. In reality Sakura never thought any real harm would ever come to Naruto. In her eyes he was invincible; no one could ever kill him. However her mother's words brought a new fear into her heart and suddenly Sakura didn't know what she'd do if she ever lost Naruto. Before she could dwell on this new feeling of dread she felt Naruto wrap his arm around her.

"I'd do everything in my power never to leave Sakura-chan and our unborn child alone Haruno-san. However you're right, I'm a jinchuriki and there will always be someone coming after the Kyuubi's power. Despite what Sakura-chan might think I've thought about the possibility of me dying, and I've found a solution that will ensure her being taken care of after my death."

"..."

"You see I'll be turning 18 this October and when I do I'll have access to my inheritance. I've never been too happy about having one since my parents already did so much for me the day I was born, but now I can put it to some use," said Naruto.

"Wait you have an inheritance? Why didn't you tell me?!" Blurted out Sakura.

Naruto winced at his pinkett's sudden eruption of anger. He looked down at her to see her vibrant jade eyes fixed on him; she was waiting for his explanation.

"Sorry Sakura-chan it's just something I really don't like talking about. I just found out last year after the war, I didn't think it was that important," replied Naruto sheepishly.

The pink haired kunoichi was clearly upset for never being informed about something so important. Hanako did her best to soothe her daughter's anger.

"Calm down Sakura, clearly Naruto didn't find this important, you can't get mad at him for his judgment. Now let him finish, go on Naruto you were saying?"

"Right, well I figure if anything ever happened to me I'd leave everything to Sakura-chan. Now that we know she's expecting I can rest easy knowing she and the baby will be taken care of financially for quite some time."

"I see, I must say Naruto I'm extremely happy knowing my daughter is in such good hands. I can't believe you'd leave your inheritance to her, but can you legally do that?" Asked Hanako.

"Yes but it would require Sakura-chan to be my wife," said Naruto nervously.

"So marriage is the answer?" Asked Hanako calmly.

"Yes I've checked with Baa-chan and that's the only way this can work. I've always wanted to marry your daughter truth be told, and I know everything is moving so fast, but if it's to ensure my family's well being then I don't mind the rush."

"Naruto you really mean that, you want to marry me?" Asked Sakura.

"I do Sakura-chan, I always have."

A blush covered her face as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could care less about Naruto keeping his inheritance a secret from her. What she was focused on was that he really did want to marry her.

"I know I don't have a ring to present you with, so I guess getting down on one knee would be pretty pointless. However I'll get one for you Sakura-chan, and I'll give you whatever kind of wedding you want, I promise. All that matters to me is that you'll be my wife. I'll make you happy I swear it. I can only hope you feel the same way about all of this."

Sakura felt her heart beat fiercely against her chest. Her head spun and for just a moment she thought she was going to pass out. Butterflies collected in the pit of her stomach as both Naruto and her mother awaited her answer. She struggled to focus on everyone until her gaze locked onto Naruto. His cerulean blue eyes brought a halt to her momentary lapse of composer and slowly Sakura came back to reality.

"Yes," whispered Sakura.

Naruto saw Sakura's lips move but she spoke so softly he hadn't heard her answer. He leaned in closer towards Sakura hoping he could make out her answer. Suddenly Sakura's arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He felt her pull him close and it was then that he heard her voice shaking with emotion.

"Yes Naruto, of course I'll marry you," said Sakura happily.

She buried her face into Naruto's neck as she hugged him tightly. Naruto felt a wave of relief consume him and without hesitation he wrapped his strong arms around Sakura's petite body.

Hanako couldn't help but smile at the sight before her; despite her best effort tears rolled down her face. She wiped them away quickly as she watched her daughter cry her own tears of joy.

"You're both still so young and I'm not going to lie, things will be difficult. You're both going to have to learn that things won't be about either of you anymore, all that will matter is your child. However your relationship already possess the three components that are required for all relationships to work," said Hanako.

Both Naruto and Sakura kept each other in their arms but listened intently at Hanako.

"What are those three components mom? Asked Sakura.

"They are love, trust, and communication sweet heart. I know that your love for each other is genuine and true. Your trust in one another is unbreakable. I saw a glimpse of it that night in your apartment Sakura. You had such faith that Naruto wouldn't hurt you, which is without a doubt unwavering trust. Lastly I can tell that the both of you are taking responsibility and communicating on what needs to be done for your future. I'm so very pleased with how this conversation has unfolded and I know that the both of you will pull through. So with that said it's my pleasure to give you both my blessing on your marriage, keep loving each other and everything will be alright," said Hanako.

She rose for her seat and pulled both Naruto and Sakura into a lovely embrace. She kissed Sakura on her forehead and turned her face towards Naruto's. Naruto looked at Hanako and was astonished to see how much Sakura looked like her mother. He felt her lips softly kiss his whiskered cheek and for a moment his heart ache. Her show of motherly affection gave Naruto a glimpse of what having a mother must be like. Hanako let them both go and returned to the armchair to pick up her bag.

"You're leaving already mom?"

"Yes Sakura, I have a few errands I need to run so I'll leave you two alone. What I wanted to discuss with you has been resolved so theres no point in me taking anymore of your time."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for a cup of tea?"

"I'd would love that Sakura but perhaps another time. I have other engagements to attend to."

"Alright then mom, thanks for stopping by," said Sakura as she led her mother towards to the front door.

"Oh there is one thing I forgot to mention Sakura. Could you please let me know when you have your next doctor's appointment? I'd like to be there to see my grandchild," said Hanako.

"Of course mom, I'll make sure to let you know."

"Alright then sweetheart, goodbye Naruto."

"Goodbye Hanako-san, and thank you for being so understanding."

"Likewise Naruto."

With that said Sakura's mother walked out the front door leaving the young couple alone. Sakura turned her head and looked at Naruto; he returned her gaze and smile spread across his face.

"Well that went well didn't it," chuckled Naruto.

"You're telling me," sighed Sakura.

Naruto leaned back into the couch and let out a loud sigh of relief. He was beyond happy that everything with Sakura's mom had ended on a good note. Before he could comment on what had just happened he saw Sakura approached him and as soon as she was right in front of him she lean in towards him. She eased one of her legs over him and the next thing he knew his pink beauty was straddling him. She drew closer to him and Naruto felt her playfully nip and tug at his bottom lip.

"So then Naruto, you really want me to be Mrs. Uzumaki Sakura?" Cooed Sakura.

"More than anything Sakura-chan," whispered Naruto.

Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and pulled him close. She innocently kissed him but once she felt him welcoming her advances her small gesture of love quickly turned into a passionate thirst. Without hesitation Naruto picked up her craving for more and soon the two of them feverishly locked lips. Sakura found herself rhythmically rocking her hips back and forth as she devoured Naruto's lips. The harsh friction Sakura was producing made Naruto's groin throb with anticipation. He groaned into her mouth sending vibrations down her throat. She quivered with excitement as she continued to torture him with her rocking hips, and lust fueled kisses. In turn Naruto pulled Sakura's shirt up. His hands freely traveled up her chest. With a swift movement of his hands he yanked her bra upwards so that both her breasts pop out from their prison of fabric. He broke their heated kissed so that he could hoist Sakura higher onto his body. Once he had better access to her chest he slowly took one of her breasts into his mouth. Sakura gasped as she relished in the sensation that pulsated through her body. She ran her fingers through Naruto's hair as he sucked gently teased her nipple. She purred seductively, and Naruto's urge to take her now was growing closer and closer. Suddenly a soft knock on the front door snapped the two from their heated foreplay. Naruto growled in frustration. Sakura slid off of him and quickly fixed her bra and shirt. Naruto reluctantly stood up and did his best to hide his boner. He walked over to the door and opened it. There in front of him stood Sai. His pale teammate smiled politely at him.

"Hello Naruto-kun I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Sai.

"Actually," Naruto began.

He stopped when he heard Sakura softly scolding him from inside. He held back his urge to be rude and sighed in defeat.

"No Sai you aren't interrupting anything, so what's up?"

"You're wanted at Hokage tower. Tsunade-sama wants you to be prepared for a mission upon arrival. So make sure you take what you need because you won't be coming back home, you'll leave immediately."

"I'm going out on a mission?" Asked Naruto.

"It would seem so Naruto-kun. I'm not clear on all the details, I was merely ordered to come here and inform you to report to Tsunade-sama at once."

"Well how much am I supposed to pack? Do you at least know how long the mission will be?" Asked Naruto as he fixed his disheveled clothes.

"For three days tops, the length of your stay depends on how quickly you can complete your mission."

"Alright easy enough."

"Good, sorry again for just dropping by so suddenly but it was really out of my hands Naruto-kun."

"It's alright Sai,don't worry about it."

Sai smiled and he waved goodbye as he made his way down the stairs. Naruto closed the door and saw Sakura still flushed from their quick moment of passion.

"You're leaving?"

The disappointment in her voice was quite apparent.

"Yeah it looks that way," answered Naruto.

He passed Sakura and walked into his room to grab his gear. Sakura followed and watched as Naruto rapidly gathered everything he needed. She sighed softly and left him alone so he could pack. Naruto heard her leave and he couldn't help but feel bad. However there wasn't anything he could do, a mission was a mission. After a few minutes of double checking his gear Naruto was sure he was ready to leave. He left his room so that he could say his goodbyes when he noticed Sakura sitting at the kitchen table. A small box bundle in cloth lay in front of her. She looked up at Naruto and faintly smiled at him as he approached her. She stood up and placed the bundle in his hands.

"Here I packed you some food for your mission, it's not much but it's high in carbohydrates. Also I packed a small first aid kit, you may heal fast but it's always good to have just in case someone else gets hurt. I packed special ointments I made myself so those should work great if you need them," said Sakura softly.

"Thanks Sakura-chan, I'd be lost without you. Now look don't worry, I'll be back sooner than you know, I promise," said Naruto as he kissed her softly on the lips.

"I know you will, just please be careful," pleaded Sakura.

"I will," whispered Naruto.

He began making his way out of his apartment when he remembered something. He walked back over to Sakura and knelt down in front of her. He lifted the bottom of her shirt up slightly and he kissed her exposed tummy tenderly.

"Keep your mom company ok," said Naruto softly.

He stood up and kissed Sakura once more. She returned his kiss and held him close.

"I love you Naruto," whispered Sakura.

"I love you guys too," replied Naruto.

He let go of Sakura and headed towards the door. He looked back at her and gave her his classic goofy grin. Sakura slowly waved goodbye and the next thing she knew Naruto was gone.


	17. Chapter 17: Fox and Dog

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO.***

* * *

><p>Naruto walked the corridors inside Hokage tower. He passed several shinobi's as he hastily walked. Some of them were holding paperwork while others were there for different business. After a few moments he reached Tsunade's office door, he couldn't help but feel a new sense of excitement as stood there. He was rather curious about what she had planned for him. Without another moment of hesitation Naruto entered her was waiting for him at her desk. She looked up at him and it was clear that she had no time for idle chit chat.<p>

"Good, you're here, now listen up Naruto. I'm sending you to the nearby village of Koka. You should be familiar with. It's a non shinobi village, but it's renown for being a rest stop for traders and shinobi alike."

"Yeah I've passed through there lots of times. What's going on?"

"Recently the villagers have fallen prey to bandits and rouge shinobi. Many of them have stopped trading out of fear and now their economy is suffering. The fire daimyo has distant relatives that live in Koka so it's our responsibility to provide protection and support to this tiny village. I'm appointing you as team captain. Your mission is to head for Koka immediately and dispose of any bandits or rouge shinobi you encounter. I'm giving you three days to make sure the job is done. Also a medic shinobi in training is on your team so she will be healing the wounded that have been attacked. Do you understand your mission?" Asked Tsunade.

"Yes Baa-chan I do. So where's this team of mine?" Asked Naruto.

"They were briefed earlier in the day, we were just waiting on you to wake up. I wanted to make sure you were well rested for this mission."

Just then the door to Tsunade's office swung open. Konohamaru along with his team mates Moegi, and Udon walked inside.

"Naruto-niichan!" Shouted Konohamaru.

"Hey you guys," said Naruto.

It had been sometime since Naruto had last seen Konohamaru and he was surprised to see he had gotten taller. The same was said for Udon, and Moegi was growing up to be quite a cutie.

"Alright everyone you've all been briefed. I expect you three to listen to Naruto on this mission. Just because you're close to home doesn't mean you're excluded from danger," warned Tsunade.

Naruto felt a sudden wave of worry coming off of Tsunade. Something had happened, but there was no time to cause a scene. He'd talked to Shikamaru when he got back from this mission.

"You're dismissed," said Tsunade.

"Yes ma'am," said everyone in unison.

Naruto signaled the youths in front of him to leave first, he slowly followed behind them and in that instant he couldn't help but feel like Kakashi-sensei. Naruto smirked as he walked out of Tsunade's office.

* * *

><p>Naruto and his team made it to the front gates of Konoha, and Naruto could tell his teammates were enthusiastic to say the least. He heard them rambling to each other but he had to admit he wasn't listening to what they were saying. He was concentrating more on his empty stomach that groaned with hunger. He had been in such a hurry to get to Hokage Tower that he had skipped lunch. He wanted to eat so bad, but he knew that it wouldn't be allowed. For a few moments Naruto sulked, but then he remembered that he was the one in charge, he was able to call the shots without anyone telling him no. Naruto smirked at the thought, it was time to make his first decision as captain.<p>

"Alright listen up you guys first order of business. We're heading out, but, we're making a quick stop at that little dumpling shop that's about 45 minutes away from here. I need to get some food in my stomach before we do anything else."

"Well then why don't we just eat here?" Asked Konohamaru.

"Are you crazy?! We'd be dead if Baa-chan caught wind that we were still here. She wanted us to leave so we gotta leave Konoha, but she didn't say we couldn't have a little detour on our way to Koka. Besides I'm the captain so what I say goes," said Naruto.

"He has a point Konohamaru, we best do what he says," said Udon.

"Yeah yeah I never said we weren't," snapped Konohamaru.

"Alright lets head out," ordered Naruto.

He quickly bolted with his younger companions not far behind. They all dashed swiftly outside the gates of Konoha and off to their next destination.

Naruto let out a sigh of satisfaction as they left the dumpling shop; he patted his stomach contently.

"I'm glad we made this stop, I hadn't eaten lunch either," said Moegi.

"Me too," agreed Udon.

"You see my executive decision saved us an uncomfortable trip to Koka," said Naruto.

Konohamaru rolled his eyes, he didn't say a word as the left the restaurant. He watched the shinobi he idolized as he made small talk with his friends. Konohamaru wasn't sure how he felt towards Naruto. At first he was thrilled to see that he was their team captain, but the rumors that were circulating Konoha had reached his team and he wasn't sure if they were true or not. After a few minutes the idle chit chat with his teammate had ceased and Konohamaru mustered the courage to confront Naruto.

"Is it true Naruto-niichan?" Asked Konohamaru.

"Is what true?" Asked Naruto.

"Did you get your girlfriend pregnant?"

"Konohamaru!" Snapped Moegi.

Naruto froze and his face began to heat up from embarrassment.

In reality he didn't mind telling them, or anyone for that matter the truth. There was no point in lying after all, but he never thought this topic would be brought up on their mission. Naruto sighed softly and nodded his head.

"Yes Konohamaru it's true, Sakura-chan is pregnant."

A silence fell over the team but it was short lived since Moegi was absolutely ecstatic.

"Oh that's so romantic! I can only imagine how adorable that baby will be. What if it has Sakura's gorgeous pink hair and your deep blue eyes Naruto- taicho? Or even better what if they have your blonde hair with Sakura's stunning jade eyes," cooed Moegi.

Konohamaru on the other hand remained silent. Naruto looked over at him, he wasn't sure what to tell him. However Naruto didn't have to worry because out of nowhere Konohamaru turned towards Udon and punched him roughly on the arm.

"I told you they had done it! Getting Sakura pregnant is undying proof that Naruto has done the nasty with her! You owe me 50 ryo Udon!" Shouted Konohamaru.

The blood that had rushed to Naruto's face drained as quickly as it had appeared. He was mortified that his and Sakura's sex life was turned into a bet.

"You made a bet on my sex life you little shit!?" Roared Naruto.

He was about to clobber Konohamaru when he caught the sensation of a familiar chakra close by, one that made his blood boil. He turned his head sharply to the south a deep growl bellowed in his throat. The signature grew closer and as it did the scent of that individual hit his nose. In a blink of an eye Naruto was gone; all that was left was a stream of yellow. The three young shinobi were left speechless; they had no idea what had just happened.

"Konohamaru you messed up big time, you got Naruto-taicho so mad he's leaving us behind!" "You should have never pulled a stunt like that," scolded Moegi.

"No something's wrong, come on we need to catch up to him!" Yelled Konohamaru.

He ran after Naruto and without saying a word his two teammates followed him.

The three of them did their best to catch up with their captain; all they had to follow was the trail of dust he left behind.

Hinata squeaked and froze in her tracks as a vibrant yellow flash dashed next to her. Her pale lavender eyes caught a quick glimpse of a swirl of blue chakra vibrating in its creator's hand. She had no time to react, nor did she have time to even gasp Kiba's name as Naruto went in for an attack. Kiba never saw it coming, he had smelt Naruto and was prepared for a confrontation but nothing could have prepared him for the sheer speed Naruto was capable of. Kiba felt a scorching heat resonate through his lower abdomen and the next thing he knew he heard Naruto's voice.

"Rasengan!"

Kiba was sent flying through the nearby trees; he felt branches break apart as his body tore through the woods. Suddenly a yellow blur caught his attention and before his body had collided with anything Naruto brutally punched his jaw. The extra force sent Kiba's body crashing into a large oak tree. Before he could regain his composure he felt himself being picked up by the cuff of his jacket. Naruto jerked him roughly and brought him close to his face.

"Do you have any idea the bullshit that you've created for Sakura-chan and I?"

"..."

"Your little stunt that night at the party was unforgivable but then you go and tell your mother who in turn decides to open her big mouth! It's because of her that all of Konoha knows about Sakura-chan's pregnancy! You were so adamant that Konoha would be at risk because I'm the father of this child. Being a jinchuriki already puts the village at risk, and having a son just makes things even more complicated, but Sakura-chan and I had things under wraps, that is until your mom opened her trap. You created your own fear into a reality Kiba!" Roared Naruto. "People talk, and what better gossip to pass around then Konoha's hero becoming a father!"

Kiba looked shocked at the news; everything he had done had a domino effect. The shit had really hit the fan and there was nothing he could do to take it back. Naruto could hear protesting not far from where he was standing. He could care less what those individuals were saying. Suddenly Naruto felt a mild tingling sensation on his inner thigh. He looked down only to find Akamaru's jaws clamp down on him. The large ninken shook his head violently as he did his best to help his master. Naruto growled at the nuisance; he released a burst of the Kyuubi's chakra that sent the large ninken flying. Akamaru yelped in pain; his furry body was caught by Shino.

"Oh no Akamaru," whimpered Hinata.

"He's alright the important thing is that we keep him from interfering," said Shino as he tightly held Akamaru.

Yamato looked at the sight before him, he couldn't believe Naruto was beating Kiba up.

"Naruto what are you doing!?" Yelled Yamato.

Naruto turned his attention to the rest of Team 8; he was annoyed he had an audience.

"This isn't any of your concern Yamato- taicho," snapped Naruto.

Yamato slowly approached Naruto and Kiba; he prayed he could reason with Naruto.

"This is insane Naruto, we're on a mission as are you. This needs to stop, civilians are not far from here. You're lucky none of them have noticed us," said Yamato.

Naruto's crimson eyes locked onto Yamato. His intense glance caused Yamato to stop moving in Naruto's direction. Naruto began growling but Konohamaru and the rest of his team arriving made him stop. The three young shinobi watched concerned as Naruto kept his grip on Kiba. Kiba took advantage of Naruto's distraction and punch him square in the jaw. Naruto smirked as he pushed his face up against Kiba's fist.

"Is that all you got pup?" Growled Naruto."

However it wasn't Naruto's voice, it was the Kyuubi's. Its deep foreboding voice resonated from his host's throat. Kiba's eyes widen at the sound of the fox demon's deep voice, it was his first time hearing the Kyuubi. It was disturbing watching as it spoke using his friend's vocal cords. Kiba began to speak but a gut wrenching pain shot through his jaw; it was broken or perhaps dislocated. He ignored the pain as best he could and grabbed Naruto's jacket collar.

"You…pick horrible timing Naruto….we need to get back to Konoha and fast," replied Kiba painfully.

"Why should I let you go, your actions against my mate are unforgivable! Tell me right now what's more important than me ripping you apart you pathetic mutt."

Kiba snarled despite the throbbing it caused his jaw, his grip on Naruto's collar tightened. His claws ripped through the fabric.

"We found Sasuke," snarled Kiba.

Naruto's eyes shot open revealing his true eye color. The crimson red was washed away by a vibrant blue; a clear indication that Naruto's temper was subsiding.

"What did you just say?" Asked Naruto.

"We found Sasuke," repeated Kiba.

"Where?"

"In Kumogakure."

"Kiba enough, don't talk anymore," snapped Yamato.

He walked over to Naruto quickly; he felt comfortable approaching him now that he was calmer.

"Listen Naruto what information we have is confidential, we can't be discussing this out here. Let Kiba go so we can return to Konoha. Besides you've done quite a number on him, if this goes on any further you can really hurt him."

Naruto looked at Kiba, Yamato was right he was pretty banged up. A few more punches and Kiba would be in the ICU. He was lucky that Naruto had showed some form of restraint with his attacks. Naruto sighed and released his grip on Kiba. He walked away and didn't look back. He made his way towards his team that was a few meters away from him. His heart ached as he walked slowly; the Kyuubi's lust to tear Kiba apart was still burning in his chest.

"You're letting him live?!" Snarled the Kyuubi.

That's a pretty stupid question.

"You're the stupid one for letting him slide, and for what, that intolerable Uchiha brat? Look kid he's old news, just forget about him already."

No…

"Naruto your insufferable crusade to save his soul is pathetic! I grow tired of seeing his face in the inner corners of your mind."

I've gotten to you haven't I, and you're a demon made of pure hatred. If I can soften your heart why can't I save Sasuke's? Asked Naruto.

"You'll never change me Naruto never! It's an insult to compare me to a human!"

Look I'm confronting Sasuke no matter what, you got that! Besides he's someone we need to keep an eye on…for Sakura-chan's sake.

The Kyuubi's heaving breathing pause for a moment as the beast held it's breath.

"Do whatever you want, but for once don't try and save Sasuke with words. Things must end with his death, it will ensure one less threat towards Sakura."

…..

Naruto approached everyone when suddenly Hinata ran quickly towards him. He didn't acknowledge her and continued walking. She grew closer to him but instead of stopping she ran past him. Naruto didn't react, but he had to admit he was rather surprised that Hinata just ignored him. Having the young Hyuga fret over him constantly was something Naruto had gotten use to years ago. Now she had done a 180 on him and was actually caring for someone else. Hinata needed to let Naruto go, and this small act was a sign that perhaps she was getting over him. Naruto reached his team and was greeted with nervous glances. He wasn't surprised, none of them had seen him upset, let alone with the Kyuubi being involved.

"Moegi, Baa-chan told me you're a medic in training, right?" Asked Naruto.

"Yes Naruto-taicho," answered Moegi nervously.

"Good you got your first patient over there," said Naruto as he pointed towards the woods where Kiba's battered body was.

Moegi nodded her head and quickly ran in the direction he was pointing too. Naruto folded his arms as Kiba's words repeated over and over again in his mind.

"Kiba's lucky you were kind enough to show restraint," said Shino.

"Well he's my friend, I'd never actually kill him," muttered Naruto.

"That's good to hear, and Naruto, I know Kiba will never say it, but he is sorry. His mother wouldn't let up on why he had a black eye the night of the party. Finally he told her about everything. The encounter with you and his fight with Shikamaru. I know his intentions weren't to cause you or Sakura harm. His mom just loves to talk, then again don't all women?"

"..."

"Naruto-niichan that was epic," said Konohamaru as he made his way between both Shino and Naruto.

Naruto gave him a stern look as a warning to keep his mouth shut.

"I'm not proud of my actions Konohamaru so zip it. I'm just happy Moegi was with us, Kiba will be good as new."

"Yes but didn't I hear you say Moegi is still training?" Asked Shino.

"Hey healing is healing, what does it matter if Kiba isn't healed 100%. Besides you guys are close to home anyway so he won't be in agony for too long."

A low whimper along with a nudge on his leg caught Naruto's attention. He looked down and watched as Akamaru licked his blood soaked pants. He had honestly forgotten that he had been bitten; he bent down and faced Akamaru.

"I'm sorry too Akamaru. I just let my temper get the best of me, but your master is going to be fine," whispered Naruto as he patted the large ninken on the head.

Akamaru licked his hand affectionately and ran into the woods. Naruto felt the blood running down his leg and a dull pain began to pulsate due to the lack of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Shit…"

"Are you okay Naruto- taicho?" Asked Udon.

"Yeah I just need to stop the bleeding before I lose too much blood," replied Naruto.

He looked around his surroundings and saw a large stump not far from him; he limped towards it. Once there he slowly sat down and took off his backpack. He unzipped it and began searching for the first aid kit Sakura had packed for him. He found the kit and removed some gauze from it. He placed the gauze over his wound and applied pressure to it.

"There at least this will stop the bleeding until Moegi can look at it," muttered Naruto.

He heard some rustling in the woods and turned to see Yamato helping Kiba make his way to their team; Hinata and Moegi followed. Kiba turned and looked at Naruto, neither one of them blinked. They stared at each other for a few moments with blank expressions on their faces. After a while Kiba looked away and Naruto knew that the next time they'd meet fists wouldn't be flying. Moegi looked around and noticed the rest of her team was surrounding Naruto. She moved further down the dirt path to join them.

"Moegi you need to heal Naruto-taicho he's hurt," said Udon as he pointed at Naruto.

"What happened?" Asked Moegi.

"Naruto-niichan went and got bitten by Kiba's massive dog," snickered Konohamaru.

"Shut up Konohamaru I was distracted," said Naruto.

"Ok then I'll see what I can do," said Moegi.

Naruto removed the gauze from his wound and waited to feel Moegi's chakra heal him, but he felt nothing. He looked down to see Moegi blushing before him.

"Well what are you waiting for Moegi? If you keep gawking at him he's going to pass out from the loss of blood," said Konohamaru.

"Konohamaru I am not gawking!" Snapped Moegi nervously.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Yelled Konohamaru.

"I'm, just nervous, that's all. I mean this is a really big gash, I'm not sure if I'll be able to fully heal it."

"Moegi it's no big deal if you can't heal me all the way. The Kyuubi will heal any damage you can't fix. All you really have to do is stop the bleeding," said Naruto.

"Yeah but…"

"Look you can use anything in here. Sakura-chan packed some first aid ointments she made herself, so they'll help me heal even faster okay," said Naruto as he handed Moegi his first aid kit.

"See Moegi Naruto-taicho will be alright. Plus you can use those ointments too," said Udon.

"She's just embarrassed because she likes Naruto-niichan that's why," complained Konohamaru.

"Oh stop Konohamaru you're just jealous!" Snapped Moegi.

"Jealous this has nothing to do with jealousy," said Konohamaru nervously.

"Guys don't fight please," pleaded Udon.

Naruto chuckled softly as he heard his young teammates argue with each other. The location of Naruto's wound was making it hard for Moegi to heal him; the poor girl was embarrassed.

"Look Moegi if it makes you feel better I won't watch," said Naruto.

He closed his eyes and crossed his arms; at first glance one would think he was sleeping. Moegi finally gathered the courage to heal her captain. She tore a section of Naruto's pants to get a better look at the wound. Konohamaru wanted to continue his argument but Udon silently urged him to keep quiet. Konohamaru's face reddened and he walked away in defeat. Udon followed him leaving Naruto and Moegi behind. Naruto took advantage of the silence and thought rabidly on what he was going to do. He couldn't abandoned his team and head for Kumogakure alone, nor could he take them with him. For now, he was screwed. He had to finish his mission first, and he couldn't half ass it either. However he felt uneasy leaving Sakura alone, especially with this news about Sasuke.

"Sakura-san is amazing, I've never seen ointments like this before," whispered Moegi.

"Yeah well I've given her hell getting hurt constantly so she's used her knowledge of herbs to help create extra potent ointments. They work wonders on me so that means they work even faster on normal human beings."

"I see, do you think she'd teach me how to make these?"

Naruto opened one eye and looked at the young medic in front of him. He smirked when her eyes met his.

"I don't see why not, besides Sakura-chan won't be working at the hospital anymore. I know she's going to miss it so teaching you some of her techniques would be good for her."

"Really?!" Beamed Moegi.

"Yeah you can ask her when we get back home," said Naruto as he closed his eye once more.

"Oh I can't wait, this is so exciting!" Giggled Moegi. "Oh and here eat this pill it will replenish what blood you lost."

Naruto held out his hand and waited for Moegi to give him the pill. He opened his mouth wide and popped the blood replenishing pill. The taste was of iron and he cringed as he swallowed it.

Naruto then felt the cooling sensation of the ointment as Moegi spread it on his wound. Then he felt her chakra as it poured from her palms; it was a funny feeling. Naruto had gotten use to Sakura's chakra signature since he was rarely healed by anyone else. When Sakura healed him her chakra had a cooling sensation at first, then it would heat up, just like Tsunade's. However Moegi's chakra was warm the whole time. After a few minutes Naruto felt his leg being bound in bandages and he opened his eyes to see Moegi finishing up.

"There, things turned out better than I thought, Sakura-san's ointments really helped."

Naruto stood up and bent his leg, it was still sore but he could still move it with ease.

Awesome job Moegi."

"Thank you Naruto-taicho, but your pants are ruined."

"Nah it's just a little blood, besides I'll change when we get to Koka. Now go ahead and let the guys know that we'll be heading out. I just need to do something real quick."

"Ok," said Moegi.

She packed up her gear and made her way towards Konohamaru and Udon. Naruto made sure she was out of sight and once he knew the coast was clear he performed some lightning fast hand signals.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A puff of smoke appeared and a small toad sat in front of Naruto.

"Yeah boss?" Asked the toad.

"Kento I need you to head back to Konoha and keep an eye on Sakura-chan for me. She's staying at my apartment. Let her know I sent you just in case she needs me while I'm gone. Do not take your eyes off of her alright."

"Sure boss whatever you say. Now just in case she does need you am I supposed to do a reverse summoning on you?"

"Yes along with three others."

"Alright then, I'll head out then."

Kento croaked before leaping off in the direction of Konoha. Naruto sighed heavily as he watched his tiny summon leave.

"At least I can keep an eye on you like this Sakura-chan. I'll make sure I get home as fast as I can," whispered Naruto.

Once Kento was out of sight Naruto ran out of the woods. He found his teammates waiting for him not on the dirt road path. He motioned his team to draw close to him.

"Look guys I want to apologize for that little scene with Kiba. He and I have been at each others throats and the tension between us has been building up. So something like this was unavoidable, sorry if I scared any of you."

"We weren't scared we were confused is all, or at least that's how I felt," said Konohamaru.

"Yeah at first we thought you were intercepting an enemy," agreed Udon.

"No Kiba wasn't the enemy, he was just a prick, anyhow all that is over now. We need to get back on track. We're a bit behind schedule so I'm asking you all to be prepared to push things into overdrive alright. If we leave right now and stop once for a rest we'll arrive in Koka around 4am," said Naruto.

"Right!"

"Good now keep up and pay attention to your surroundings, you all need to keep your wits about you. Remember what Baa-chan said, theses villagers are being harassed by rogue shinobi and bandits, so running into some might happen. However I'll be able to smell anything that is a threat but still be prepared for anything," warned Naruto.

The three young shinobi all shared the same glances with each other. They all felt pumped and excited to finally head out on their mission. Naruto gave the signal and all four of them leapt into the tree tops. They each jumped quickly from branch to branch. Naruto took the lead as they made their way towards the small village of Koka. He mentally prepared himself for the task at hand, but he couldn't stop the visions of Sakura and Sasuke as they flooded his mind.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru walked into his apartment exhausted from his tiresome research of medical charts Shizune had given him. It was only 8pm but he was ready to go to bed, or at least take a nap. He removed his jonin vest and threw it on his couch. He hopped on one foot as he slipped one of his shoes off; he repeated the same gesture for the other shoe as well. Now barefooted Shikamaru sluggishly made his way to his bedroom; before he walked in he caught a glimpse of Ino sitting on his bed. He stopped momentarily and observed his girlfriend. She wore a tiny black skin tight T-shirt and a pair pink panties. Her long blonde hair wasn't tied up as usual; instead it hung delicately over her shoulders. She sat quietly on his bed as she read a book. Shikamaru smirked at the sight he was observing. He was happy Ino was staying with him, it was better to come home to someone waiting for you. Shikamaru continued walking towards his room and soon his blonde girlfriend caught sight of him.<p>

"Hey Shika baby," said Ino as she closed her book.

She hopped off the bed and ran towards him. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Guess what, I was dismissed from border patrol today so I get to spend the next few days with you," giggled Ino. "Oh and you just missed Chouji, he came over to drop off some of his mom's hitsumabushi so we don't have to worry about dinner tonight."

"That's great Ino. I'm glad you're off border patrol duty, that's one less thing I have to worry about. Too bad I missed Chouji though. His mom is awesome for sharing her home cooked meals with us, but I think I'm going to pass on dinner," yawned Shikamaru.

"Why, what's wrong?"

Shikamaru didn't answer; instead he continued his trek towards his bed. He sat down and fell backwards letting his body hit the soft mattress. He stared up silently at the ceiling, until a pair of light blue eyes looked into his. Ino looked down at her boyfriend's worried face; she leaned in closer to him.

"Seriously Shikamaru, what's wrong? Was your day really that bad?"

"Well it wasn't bad, just really tiresome."

"Well what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm helping Tsunade-sama figure out what the hell is going on with all this bullshit."

"You mean those Kumogakure shinobi and the corpse?"

"Yeah but they're just the tip of the iceberg Ino, there's a bunch of lovely details that were added to my original deduction."

Ino nestled herself next to Shikamaru; she stroked his chest gently as she listened intently.

"Well what else did you learn?"

"Fucking Kabuto is the one creating this virus that's been afflicting shinobi," muttered Shikamaru.

"Oh my god, are you sure it's him behind this?"

"Yes, anything that has to do with the altering of DNA, forbidden jutsu, and viruses is Orochimaru's calling card. Tsunade-sama wants me to see if there's a pattern with the victims that have fallen ill."

"I can't believe we have to deal with Kabuto again," whispered Ino.

"Oh but there's more, it looks like Kabuto has paired up with Sasuke."

"Oh my god does Naruto know?"

"I'm afraid so, I ran into Team 8 this afternoon. It looks like Naruto and Kiba finally had it out and in the process Kiba told Naruto they had encountered Sasuke in Kumogakure. As soon as I heard this news from Shino I stopped by Naruto's to check on Sakura. She wasn't surprised to see me, she wanted to know if I knew anything about the messenger toad she had received from him earlier in the day. I played dumb and said no. I told her Naruto had asked me to check in on her before he left on his mission. I assured her that he's just being overprotective, what with her expecting. She agreed and said that's probably the reason for the messenger toad, I was lucky she believed me."

"So what's this about Naruto's new mission, where the hell is he?"

"Tsunade-sama sent him on a mission to Koka earlier this afternoon."

"That tiny village, what for?"

"Beats me, but I'm glad he isn't here. Sending him away makes more sense now. If he was here he would have headed towards Kumogakure in a heartbeat. However he's on a mission and Tsunade-sama knows he'd never abandon his team."

"So you need to hurry up and find out what Sasuke and Kabuto want before Naruto gets involved?"

"Yeah that's why I'm stressing. I need to hurry up and find out what the hell Sasuke and Kabuto's plan is before they successfully execute it," said Shikamaru.

He covered his face with one arm and sighed. He was used to working under pressure but everything was happening so fast; he needed to find answers quick. He felt his arm being pried away from his face; the light from his room made his eyes squint. Ino had rolled over and was now on her belly looking at him. She raised herself up till she was on all fours, she crawled slowly over Shikamaru. She straddled him and smiled sweetly at her boyfriend.

"Nara Shikamaru, you are by far the smartest man I know. You've gotten our team out of so many tight spots before, so much so that I've lost count. I have undying faith in you, just like Asuma-sensei did. You need to relax and keep your mind clear, you always tell me to do that when I have a lot on my mind," said Ino.

Shikamaru smirked at his girlfriend's advice.

"So you really do listen to me."

"Of course I do," cooed Ino.

She leaned in and kissed Shikamaru sensually as her hands gently stroked his chest. Shikamaru's body relaxed slightly as Ino caressed his mouth with her own. After a few moments of tongue wrestling Ino pulled away slowly from Shikamaru and rested her forehead against his.

"You know, I can help you clear your mind Shikamaru," purred Ino.

"Heh, is that so?"

"Oh you know it."

"I'm guessing you wouldn't take a rain check would you?"

"Now why in the world would you want to do that?"

"I'm tired."

"Well I'm sorry but not even your lazy ass can say no to what I have to offer you."

Shikamaru looked up at Ino; her strands of blonde hair dangled onto his chest. She was gorgeous and even though he didn't want to admit it she had a point, he could never say no to her. He cupped her face with both his hands and kissed her. Shikamaru pulled Ino's body up against his bringing her closer to him. Ino slowly let her hands travel up his head; she pulled at the rubber band that kept his hair up. After a few seconds she took it off and ran her fingers slowly through Shikamaru's long hair. She always loved it when he wore his hair down.

Suddenly Ino sat up quickly and plopped herself down roughly onto Shikamaru's crotch; he grunted at her rapid descent. She grinned devilishly at the sound of his discomfort, but she made up for it as she swiveled her hips hypnotically against him. Shikamaru groaned as Ino teased him. She ran her hands up under his shirt and traced the muscles on his abdomen. She tugged at his shirt signaling Shikamaru to take it off. He obeyed and removed it. Once it was off he relaxed once more under his blonde beauty.

Ino smirked at the shirtless man underneath her. She pulled off her tiny black T-shirt and threw it carelessly on the floor. Shikamaru watched as Ino's large breast jiggled freely. Her ample bare chest looked delicious. Shikamaru wasted no time grasping her perky breasts with both his hands and kneaded them softly. Her nipples perked up and he pinched them lightly between his fingers. A soft moan escaped Ino's throat and her legs tighten their grasp on his hips. Heat enveloped in between her thighs as her panties began to grow wet. She slowly climbed off Shikamaru and planted herself on her knees.

Shikamaru propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Ino as she gazed at him from in between his legs. She ran her hands seductively up his thighs; she reached his crotch and gently squeezed it. She pulled Shikamaru's pants off and helped herself to his erect member. Shikamaru watched as Ino's head bobbed up and down; his body shook with excitement. He struggled to keep himself up but soon his arms gave way leading him to collapse onto the bed once more. He grabbed his bed sheets as he indulged in the sensation of Ino ministrations. Nothing else mattered to Shikamaru at that moment. All the tedious paperwork and puzzle solving was pushed aside, at least for now.

Ino continued to blow her boyfriend until she could no longer contain her urges. She wanted him inside of her desperately. She abruptly stopped so that she could prepared herself for him. Shikamaru felt himself exposed to the cool air of his apartment; his eyes opened and he sat up confused. Before he could focus on Ino something was thrown at his face. He failed at catching the object but pulled the soft material from his face. He looked at the piece of cloth in his hand and soon realized it was Ino's pink panties. Shikamaru looked back at her and found her leaning over the bed.

"What are you waiting for Shikamaru, come and get me," said Ino as she wiggled her hips from side to side.

Shikamaru sat up and made his way behind his eager girlfriend. He looked down at her as she lifted her rear end a little higher.

"Please Shikamaru, don't be mean. You know how much I hate it when you make me wait."

"I'm sorry, but, I just can't help but admire you."

"You can admire me all you want while you're fucking me."

"Heh if you say so," said Shikamaru.

He carefully positioned himself at Ino's moist entrance. He grabbed both her hips and gently pulled her close to him. He entered her slowly making every inch of him be a mixture of pure ecstasy and agony all at once. Finally he couldn't go any further and Ino whimpered softly.

"So then should I keep going, or should I admire how cute you look when you're bent over in front of me like this?"

"Please keep going."

"Always so polite," said Shikamaru in a husky voice.

He pulled out of Ino once more and rammed himself deep and hard inside her. Ino screamed with pleasure as Shikamaru tightly grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to him with each thrust. The sensation of her walls engulfing his entire dick was never tiresome; he loved how tight she always felt. Ino drew her body closer to the bed and pushed her hips up as high as she could. She wanted to have as much of Shikamaru inside her as possible. Suddenly she gasped as she felt his hands grabbed both her breasts. He pulled her nipples gently as his hips continued to thrust towards her. Ino moaned and buried her face in the bed sheets. She pushed herself towards Shikamaru's ramming hips; she relished the feeling of being one with him. Suddenly Ino felt Shikamaru grab chunks of her silky blonde hair in his hands. He pulled her luscious locks towards him sending her head backwards. He picked up his speed even more as he pulled her hair. Ino screamed in delight; she loved when Shikamaru was rough with her. He rarely was since Ino was the dominant figure in bed. However he knew she loved for the roles to be switched every now and then.

After a few minutes of hair tugging Shikamaru let go of Ino's locks and pulled himself out of her. He placed a hand on her shoulder blade and Ino turned around to see what he was doing. Once she met his gaze she knew what he wanted her to do. She got up and allowed Shikamaru to sit down on the edge of the bed. He smirked at Ino and pulled her towards him once he was settled. With a little help Ino positioned Shikamaru at her entrance. She inhaled deeply when he slid inside her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and she threw her head back wildly while bucking her hips. Shikamaru kissed Ino's exposed neck while his hands helped her rocking hips. She drew closer towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She feverishly kissed him, letting her tongue roam freely inside his mouth. Shikamaru challenged her seductive intrusion and dragged his tongue over hers. The two of them fought for dominance with their mouths and pulled away abruptly for air. Sweat covered both their bodies and their breathing was labored and shaky. Ino leaned her forehead against Shikamaru's as she played with his hair.

"I love you Shikamaru."

"I love you too."

Shikamaru kissed her again and squeezed her hips tightly. Ino took the hint and continued bouncing. The room began to grow hotter by the minute and the entire apartment was filled with their chorus of passion. Moans and screams echoed throughout the hall and neither one of them had a desire to withhold their cries of passion. Ino continued to get wetter and wetter and her sweet nectar began to flow all over Shikamaru's inner thighs. He was able to entered her with ease due to her own abundant lubrication.

"Fuck me Shikamaru!"

The way Ino said his name sent shivers all over Shikamaru's body. He paused for a moment regaining his composure; the last thing he wanted was to cum too fast. Ino smirked at her boyfriend lapse of control.

"Mind if we change positions?"

"Sure if you want," panted Shikamaru.

"I most certainly do," cooed Ino.

Shikamaru helped Ino as she untangled her legs from his midsection. Once free she stood up and stretched her naked form; Shikamaru admired the women before him, he still couldn't believe she was his. Ino blushed when she noticed Shikamaru watching her. She seductively threw her hair back; her luscious locks were sent cascading down her back and over her breasts. She patted the bed slowly signally Shikamaru to lie down. He did as he was told and got comfortable on his bed. He watched intently as Ino positioned herself over him. She grabbed his member with one hand and guided him inside her. She sat on Shikamaru's hardened erection and wiggled her hips around. She loved the feeling of having him inside her, but she also enjoyed watching him struggle between her legs. She giggled at the faces he was making, but she wasn't satisfied with teasing slowly began picking up her pace and the next thing she knew she was riding him to her hearts content.

"Ino…"

"Yes Shika baby, do you like it when I ride you?"

"Yes…"

"Good because I love it too," said Ino as she dragged her nails across his chest.

She panted heavily as she felt her inner walls begin to quiver; she was reaching her limit. She bit her bottom lip trying her best to ignore the eruption of pleasure that was building up in the pit of her stomach. She could no longer take it and she screamed as she burst all over Shikamaru. However the urge to continue bouncing on him was still strong. Even though her body tensed from her orgasm she continued to please Shikamaru.

"Ino..."

"Cum for me Shikamaru."

"But Ino…"

"Just do it," ordered Ino.

She felt Shikamaru's member hardened even more and she bounced roughly on him one last time. She then quickly removed herself from his hips and planted herself in between his legs. She grabbed his throbbing member in her hand and jerked him off until finally she felt him spill all over her hand. Shikamaru clenched his teeth as he came. Ino licked herself and Shikamaru clean; she loved how he tasted. Shikamaru panted heavily, he was beyond exhausted. He felt Ino finish up and soon she crawled next to him. She pulled the covers over the both of them and she snuggled close to Shikamaru. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled the crook of his neck. After catching his breath Shikamaru rolled over and returned the embrace.

"So how was that? Did I help clear your mind?" Asked Ino.

"Hmph yeah, maybe I should get this for every problem I encounter," replied Shikamaru.

"I don't see a problem with that."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," whispered Ino.

She hugged Shikamaru and relaxed next to him as they both let slumber consume them.

* * *

><p>The soft melody of Ino's cell phone ringing woke her. She sat up and turned to her left; Shikamaru was fast asleep. Ino smiled, she was happy he was resting. She wiggled away from him and silently crawled over his sleeping form. She ran towards the kitchen where her cell phone was ringing away. She answered just before her answering machine did.<p>

"Hello, oh hey Sakura what's up? Oh nothing I'm just here at Shikamaru's. Yeah I told my parents I'd be spending the weekend with him since I'm off of border patrol. Sure you can stop by. Is everything ok? Alright then I'll see you in a bit. I'll leave the door open so just let yourself in, be safe ok? Bye," said Ino.

She hung up her phone and walked back to Shikamaru's room. She picked up her clothes from the floor and began to get dressed, It was a good thing they got to fool around before Sakura decided to stop by. She tip toed out of the room and closed the door behind her leaving Shikamaru fast asleep.


	18. Chapter 18: More than meets the eye

*EDIT REVISED VERSION* Hey everyone, I know that it's been a whole month with no update. Sorry about that, but certain things were brought to my attention. I was spending way too much time on the computer/internet. My son is 20 months old and I was honestly spending more time writing this story and facebooking then spending time with him. Boy did I feel horrible, so I've cut my computer time by more than half. I've been spending this last month with my son and I intend on keeping my computer time way down. Now this doesn't mean that I won't finish someone else to protect. All it means is that it will take time for updates. Sorry but I'm a mommy first before anything. I'm just glad my hubby gave me a reality check when it came to my constant computer use. Anyhow enough of my personal life. The story is going to be coming to a close soon. The time skip is still planned to start on chapter 20. So please enjoy this chapter guys. Again sorry for the wait and I hope you can bear with me and my mommy schedule.

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>The moon hung over Konoha, rays of pale moon light shined down on the village. Sakura slowly walked alone with her night bag draped around her shoulder. She held the strap of the bag tightly in her hands. She could hear Kento the small toad inside her bag getting comfortable. She smiled knowing that Naruto had sent the toad to watch over her. She was still upset that he had to leave so abruptly. She had no idea where he had gone or how long he'd be away from home. She was a bit alarmed at first when the Kento randomly appeared on Naruto's windowsill. At first she thought something was wrong but after talking to Shikamaru she realized Naruto was just being thoughtful and overprotective. Sakura admitted to herself that she enjoyed being fused over; it was nice to feel really special every now and then.<p>

Sakura continued walking when she heard someone behind her calling her name. She paused and turned around to see who the voice belonged to. She soon saw a very familiar shinobi dress in a green jump suit running towards her. Rock Lee waved his hand eagerly at Sakura; he paused to catch his breath when he reached her.

"Hello Sakura-san, I was afraid you hadn't heard me," said Lee.

"Oh no I heard you," giggled Sakura.

"Well obviously you did because if you hadn't I wouldn't be speaking to you right now."

"You seem a little out of breath Lee. It isn't like you to get so winded so quickly, is everything alright?"

"Oh no Sakura-san I'm fine. I'm just out of breath because Guy sensei had me running laps in a handstand position around the village again. Once I reached my goal of 600 laps Guy sensei sent me home to eat."

"You ran 600 laps on your hands Lee-san? Honestly I don't know how you do it."

"Well its simple Sakura-san. Putting in raw hard work and always going that extra mile is my shinobi way. I'll do anything and everything to be the best taijutsu master there is."

Hearing Lee's reason for his intense training reminded Sakura of Naruto's determination as well. She knew Lee and Naruto had a friendly rivalry when it came to being the best. She smiled thinking to herself what Naruto would say if he heard what Lee had just accomplished.

"So Sakura-san it's starting to get late, are you heading home?"

"No Lee-san I'm actually making my way to Shikamaru's apartment."

"Shikamaru? Why are you heading over to see him at this hour?"

"Well it's not him I'm really paying a visit to. Ino is staying there over the weekend. I was alone at Naruto's place since he went off on a mission today. I didn't want to be by myself so Ino invited me over to Shikamaru's."

"Oh I see, well please allow me to accompany you on your way there then Sakura-san."

"Oh Lee-san you don't have to go out of your way for me. You've trained so much today you should head home and rest."

"It's alright Sakura-san I'm headed in the same direction as you so it's no trouble. Besides even if it was out of my way it would be my pleasure to accompany you. I mean what kind of friend would I be if I let you walk over there alone at this hour."

"Well alright, it will be nice to have someone to talk to while walking over there."

"I agree I haven't had a chance to really talk to you since…"

Lee's voice trailed off once he realized what he was about to say. Sakura could hear the concern in his voice. She kept walking next to him and sighed.

"I know the last time I saw you was at the party. It was really a mess wasn't it Lee-san."

"That's a rather polite way of putting it Sakura-san," said Lee nervously.

"Yeah well it's over and done with, everyone in the village knows that I'm pregnant. The way I see it is that there's no point in crying over spilled milk, it isn't going to fix anything. All that matters is that Naruto and I are happy that I'm expecting. Everyone else's opinion isn't important."

Lee winced at how bluntly Sakura had said everything. In all honesty he didn't think she'd be so straight forward on the subject. He knew Sakura could be out spoken but he thought she'd keep something like this to herself. Suddenly Lee relaxed; he could see that Sakura had warmed up to him even more then he had first thought.

"Well Sakura-san all that matters to me is that you're doing alright. I'm happy to see that you've taken such a difficult situation and made the best of it."

"Thank you Lee-san, that means a great deal to me."

The two shinobi walked side by side. The night air was fresh and the stars above sparkled brilliantly. Sakura marveled at how beautiful nightfall was.

"So Sakura-san you said that Naruto left on a mission?"

"Yes earlier today he was called to the Hokage's office. He was informed to arrive prepared for a mission. Once he received his orders he was to leave the village immediately."

"I see, so you don't know the details of his mission?"

"No I wish I did, usually he leaves to get briefed and comes home to get ready. It was a little unsettling how he was ordered to already be prepared to leave."

"I wouldn't worry Sakura-san, some missions are just time sensitive. Perhaps he needed to escort some VIP out of Konoha. I've heard that since these sudden disappearances, political parties have requested extra security when traveling."

"I never thought about that Lee-san, you have a good point. So speaking about the disappearances how was your team's mission?"

Lee turned and looked at Sakura rather surprised.

"Oh our mission, well it really wasn't a success. We weren't able to find any of the missing villages nor did we get any new leads. After being there for a few days we were relieved and ordered home. The Tsuchikage informed us not to worry about our fruitless attempts. The Kazekage sent more reinforcements to help them search for their missing villagers just as we were leaving."

"Gaara-sama is helping out the Tsuchikage?"

"Yes you know after the war both the Kazekage and Tsuchikage became rather close. Since Suna hasn't had any villagers gone missing Gaara-sama has called some of his shinobi back from small missions. He's using this extra man power to help with the search efforts."

"I see, I'm guessing you were ordered home because of the security of our own village."

"Yes, I wasn't too pleased to hear what happened when we were gone. The news we received upon arriving was infuriating. I just wish we could have been here to help."

"You were helping Lee-san, there's no reason beating yourself up. What matters now is that everyone is home."

"I guess you're right Sakura-san. Now that all the teams have returned we can focus on keeping everyone safe."

"There, now that's the spirit," chirped Sakura.

Lee smiled at Sakura as the both of them continued walking side by side. They made small talk as they made their way to Shikamaru's. Sakura soon realized that she'd never spoken to Lee this long, usually their encounters were brief. He was a very sweet guy and she was all too happy to have him as company on her walk to Shikamaru's. Suddenly Sakura found that Lee's attention was captured by something. She continued talking to him but followed his gaze at the same time. She soon saw what, or who rather had gotten his attention. A tall slender woman in her mid-20's was entering the gates to the village. She was simply breath taking; she had long jet black hair that cascaded down her back. Her body was well toned yet still feminine and delicate. Her eyes were a startling color of yellow. She was a good distance away but Sakura could see how piercing her gaze was. By her side was a large mountain lion and behind her was a band of what looked like traveling companions or subordinates.

"She's gorgeous," whispered Sakura.

"What?" Blurted out Lee.

"That woman, she's the one you're looking at isn't she?"

"Oh well yes but I wasn't gawking at her or anything."

"You don't have to explain to me."

"No really Sakura-san, she is rather beautiful but I was looking at her for a different reason."

"Oh and what reason is that?"

"She's a taijutsu master."

"How in the world can you tell that just by looking at her?"

"Simple, taijutsu is all I know, it's what I live and breathe. I can tell when someone knows taijutsu, and if so I can tell how proficient they are in it. Just look at how she holds herself up, notice how she grounds herself so well yet moves so fluidly. This women here is simply amazing, she would be a most formidable opponent."

Sakura looked back at the young women as she and her party took in the sights of the village. They obviously weren't from anywhere Sakura had ever been. They were dressed for colder weather and the fact that this woman had a mountain lion as a partner was something she had never seen before in person. They didn't wear head protectors but Sakura could tell they were shinobi.

"I wonder where they're from, and why they would be here in Konoha," whispered Sakura.

"Well most small villages must be suffering since people are too scared to continue trading Sakura-san. I'm guessing villages are sending their strongest to trade for them, or they are hiring shinobi to do the task for them."

"You're probably right," said Sakura.

She continued to watch the newcomer when suddenly the young women noticed them looking her way. She paused slightly and then flashed Lee a seductive smile. Lee gulped nervously and remained perfectly still. The women and her traveling companions walked in a different direction. Sakura was at a loss of words, there was something odd about that woman. She brushed the feeling off and realized that they had both stopped dead in their tracks without even knowing it. Sakura cleared her throat and Lee turned quickly to look at her. He smiled sheepishly and Sakura laughed at how embarrassed he was.

"Well that was interesting wasn't it?" Asked Sakura.

"Yes it was," replied Lee.

Lee and Sakura started walking again and soon they reached Shikamaru's front door. Sakura knew the door was open but she still knocked softly. She felt awkward just walking into Shikamaru's place. Ino quickly answered the door. She was rather surprised to see that Sakura wasn't alone but she smiled sweetly at Rock Lee.

"Hey Lee what's going on?" Said Ino.

"Oh hello Ino-san I was just bringing Sakura-san here. I wanted to make sure that she reached her destination safely."

"Awe Lee that's really sweet of you. Would you like to come in for a little bit?" Asked Ino.

"No thank you. I have some late night training with Guy Sensei so I need to get home and rest for a bit."

"You sure?"

"Yes Ino-san thank you for you hospitality though."

Ino smiled at Lee and went back inside leaving Sakura alone to say her goodbyes.

"Well Lee-san I want to thank you again for being so sweet and keeping me company," said Sakura sweetly.

"Oh it was nothing Sakura-san."

"Listen what's your team doing tomorrow?"

"Just the usual routine, we'll be training early in the morning. Why do you ask Sakura-san?"

"Well you see I wanted to know if your team could help me out tomorrow."

"Sure Sakura-san what do you need help with?"

"I'm moving in with Naruto so I need help packing and moving my stuff into his apartment."

"Oh sure that sounds simple, I'm sure Neji and Ten Ten wouldn't mind helping out."

"Great I'll get a hold of Ten Ten later on so I don't disturb your training. We can decide on a time when I talk to her."

"Alright Sakura-san I'll make sure to let Ten Ten know that you'll be calling her."

"Thanks Lee-san," said Sakura.

She hugged him tightly and despite how surprised, and nervous he was he return the embrace. Sakura knew that the crush Lee had on her when they were younger was still there but it was purely innocent. Lee slowly let go of Sakura and said goodbye. Sakura waved and watched him leave until she could no longer make him out in the ever growing darkness. She then made her way inside Shikamaru's and softly closed the door behind her.

"Well that was really nice of Lee. Honestly I didn't take the time to think you'd be walking out in the dark," said Ino.

"Don't worry about it, it isn't your fault. I should have thought about coming over earlier."

"Well why didn't you then?" Asked Ino.

"I went out and ran some errands to help pass the time. I got home around 8:30 and honestly I thought I was going to be able to spend the night alone but I just couldn't."

"Oh so that's what happened. Oh well all that matters is that you're here safe and sound."

"Yeah I guess you're right. So are you sure it's no trouble that I spend the night? I don't want to make Shikamaru uncomfortable."

"Oh don't you worry about Shika, he's asleep anyway. I'm pretty sure he's out for the night. Besides I woke him up to let him know you were going to be staying the night."

Just then a loud snore was heard from Shikamaru's room causing both girls to giggle uncontrollably.

"Oh my god he sounds like Naruto," laughed Sakura.

"Oh my god really, I thought I was the only one that had to suffer."

"No you're not alone, I'm amazed that I've gotten used to it. It's a miracle that I'm able to fall asleep with such noise."

"Well Shikamaru rarely snores, he only does on two occasions. One being when he's really drunk, and the second being when he's really tired."

"Well obviously he isn't drunk so he's just tired then?"

"Yeah the poor guy has a lot on his mind right now, he's exhausted because of work."

"Tsunade-sama is really giving him hell then?" Asked Sakura.

"Yeah I guess you can say that," replied Ino.

Sakura sat down on Shikamaru's couch and opened her night bag. Kento leaped out and made himself at home on the soft cushions of the couch. Ino watched the tiny toad observe his new surroundings and once he was satisfied he nestled down and fell asleep.

"So then why were you afraid to stay alone at Naruto's?" Asked Ino.

"Well it wasn't that I was afraid it's just that so much happened today. I couldn't bear to be alone with all these thoughts running wild in my head."

Ino made her way towards Sakura and sat down next to her friend.

"Do tell, what exactly went on today?" Asked Ino.

"Well for starters Naruto asked me to move in with him today."

"Well it's about time. Honestly I'm surprised you two haven't moved in together sooner."

"Well I think Naruto had some anxiety about the whole living together subject just like I did. However I'm really feeling good about it now."

"That's great Sakura, but honestly I can't see why you'd get all worked up over something as simple as moving in together."

"Well that's not even the half of it Ino."

The platinum blonde's eyes grew wide at the sound of something juicy. She drew herself closer to Sakura.

"Well what else happened forehead?"

"My mom came over to talk about Naruto's plans for our family in the future. During the conversation Naruto basically told my mom that he wanted to marry me."

Ino's mouth dropped open and her baby blue eyes widen at the news.

"He wants to marry you?" Yelled Ino.

"Shhh Ino please I don't want this whole apartment building to know," whispered Sakura.

"Well I'm sorry but this is the last thing I'd expect to happen. I had Naruto all wrong, he did have the courage to pop the question on you."

Sakura thought about Naruto's reasoning and why he rushed asking for her hand in marriage. It was true that Naruto had always wanted Sakura to be his wife. However Naruto was doing this to ensure that she and their child would be taken care of if anything ever happened to him. Being married is the only way Sakura could be an heir to Naruto's inheritance. She watched as Ino squealed with delight and she decided to keep Naruto's inheritance a secret. She had no right to babble all this information to Ino especially since Naruto had kept all of this from Sakura for so long.

"Well let me just say Sakura I think all of this news is amazing! I can see why you couldn't stand to be alone. I think I'd go insane with excitement if I was by myself."

"Yeah I definitely needed some girl time to help me calm down."

"Well we have all night to talk, so you hungry?"

"Yeah I am I haven't eaten yet."

"Alright come on follow me I already have something ready to eat for dinner."

Sakura got up and followed Ino to the kitchen. She felt relieved that she had someone to help her forget how much she was missing Naruto.

* * *

><p>The night air was still and fresh, Naruto tilted his head towards the east and inhaled deeply. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his task. He caught the faint scent of another perpetrator and he leapt quickly from tree branch to tree branch. He quietly scoured the tree lines and continued to smell the air.<p>

"Nothing important," muttered Naruto.

He was rather disappointed that all he had caught whiff of were some pesky bandits, and harmless travelers. He was growing more and more impatient on wasting his time with such insignificant individuals. He shook his head quickly realizing the Kyuubi's frustrations were making themselves known. Naruto silently made his way back to camp. He soon saw the soft glow from the camp fire his team had built a few hours before. He landed quietly in the middle of camp and found all three of his team members sound asleep. He made sure not to make a sound as he made himself comfortable on his sleeping bag. He sat down with his legs crossed; he watched the dancing flames in front of him. His mind began to wander and the next thing he knew he swore he saw Sasuke's cold stare looking at him from the burning flames. Naruto blinked making sure the vision he had just seen was real or not. Sure enough there was nothing in the flames, there was no image of the revenge hungry Uchiha.

"I can't stand not doing anything," growled Naruto.

"**You know we could just leave for Kumogakure and find that insufferable Uchiha ourselves."**

"Stop talking nonsense you know we can't do that."

"**Don't get smart with me Naruto! I'm simply pointing out that there's more we could be doing instead of being stuck here babysitting."**

"We're on a mission Kyuubi."

"**You call this waste of time a mission?"**

Naruto sighed loudly, he was beginning to get annoyed with the fox demon.

"Look I'll admit that I hate having to do this mission when Sasuke is not far from here doing god knows what. It boils my blood that I had to leave Sakura-chan alone back in Konoha. She can be in real danger right now and instead of protecting her I'm here tracking bandits."

"**We should just get rid of every threat on our own Naruto, things would go much faster that way."**

"That sounds beyond tempting, but I can't do that to Konohamaru and the others. It would be selfish of me to take the thrill of a mission away from them."

"**Keh always thinking of others before yourself Naruto, it's your ultimate weakness."**

"Maybe it is, but I much rather have it as a weakness then be a selfish prick."

"**Well then what do you plan on doing then? If you ask me I think the important thing is to get back to our mate. We would be wasting time if we tried looking for Sasuke."**

"So now looking for him would be a waste of time. Didn't you just say earlier that we should go to Kumogakure and look for him ourselves?"

"**If you're trying to make me look like a fool then you're wrong. I'm going off of what's in your sub conscious Naruto. All these ideas and thoughts that I'm presenting to you are from your own mind so you're the moron here."**

Naruto scowled when he took the time to process everything the Kyuubi had pointed out to him. He hated auguring with the beast, especially when it pointed out that Naruto was in the wrong.

"Look here's what we're going to do. We'll go and find what routes the bandits are favoring. Then we'll just stake the area and wait to ambush them. Finding them isn't going to be hard, they don't seem very bright. The kids can have their fun and take care of the bandits. I don't think we'll be stuck here the whole three days. We can finish everything in one, and then we can head home."

"**Alright then what's your plan for when we get home genius?"**

"Easy I'm going to confront Baa-chan once and for all. I'm going to get all the information that Kiba's team recovered while in Kumogakure."

"**What if she refuses?"**

"She prides herself in being stubborn but I'm winning this time. Besides if she doesn't give me what I want I can just get my desired information from Kiba."

"**You'd really lower yourself to get help from the mutt we just sent home with his tail in between his legs?"**

"Oh stop already, it's over and done with Kyuubi. I'm sure Kiba would like to stay on our good side from now on so let's just drop it alright."

"**Don't even think of telling me what to do boy."**

Naruto took in a deep breath and calmed himself. The last thing he needed was to get into a heated argument with the Kyuubi.

"Look once we get the information we need we'll get a good rounded team and then we'll head to Kumogakure."

"**What about our mate?"**

"I'm going to have to tell her everything despite the fact that I don't want her to know about Sasuke. She worries enough as it is and with the baby it makes matters worse. However she'll be safer if she knows what to expect. You and I know that Sakura-chan can take care of herself if she needs too."

"**I suppose you're right. So then if were to do this we should hurry up and get going. Wake these brats up and let's head out. I remember you telling them that the village is only 3hrs away."**

"Yeah it is, we're very close."

"**Good then hurry up and get moving!"**

"Right…"

Naruto stood up and walked over to Konohamaru's sleeping bag. He knelt down next to him and gently nudge the young shinobi.

"Hey Konohamaru wake up."

"What?"

"Come on wake up."

Konohamaru sat up slowly and looked at Naruto.

"Is it time to leave already?"

"Yeah we're really close so it's best that we just finish the trip. When we get to the village we can find a place to sleep alright. So hurry up and help me wake the others up, we're leaving in 10 minutes.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru sat up abruptly in bed; he quickly looked around his room. Once he determined everything was alright he looked down next to him. Ino's naked form was sleeping peacefully. She moved slightly due to Shikamaru's warm body not being next to her; she didn't wake up though. Shikamaru wasn't sure what had woken him up, but after some mental deliberation he decided it was nothing. He was getting ready to go back to bed when he remembered Sakura was spending the night. Maybe she was the reason why he had woken up. He decided there was no harm in checking on her. He got out of bed and put his boxers on. He walked into his living room and quickly noticed her pink hair as she slept on his couch.<p>

Shikamaru walked closer to her when suddenly a pair of small yellow eyes opened and started at him. For a split second he was startled but soon he recognized who the eyes belonged to. It was Kento the small toad Naruto had often sent Shikamaru to relay messages. Both he and the toad nodded in acknowledgement to each other and soon after Kento went back to sleep. Shikamaru yawned and decided to use the restroom while he was up. Once he was done he made his way into his living room. Suddenly his groggy mood was replaced with panic and fear. His eyes darted from left to right as he searched his living room. Everything in the room was covered in a blanket of darkness. The only moonlight that pierced through the darkness was coming from a small window in the kitchen.

_Shit this isn't good, I'm at a huge disadvantage. Shikamaru thought to himself._

His heart raced as he prepared himself for anything. He made his way carefully towards Sakura. When he reached her he noticed the tiny toad was nowhere to be seen. He placed his back towards her; he knew there was someone close by watching them both.

_Alright I need to think, if I can at least get this bastard into the light I have some chance of capturing him. Now all I need to do is pull this off and still protect Sakura…simple enough. Thought Shikamaru._

"Shikamaru is that you?" Yawned Sakura. "What are you doing?"

"Just stay still Sakura, don't move," whispered Shikamaru.

"What?" Asked Sakura.

Before Shikamaru could answer he felt something cold and slimy on his shoulder. He looked over quickly at his left shoulder. He saw the tiny toad perched on him, its yellow eyes glowed.

"It's alright they're gone," whispered Kento.

Shikamaru relaxed a little, but he still felt wary.

"So there was someone here," whispered Shikamaru.

"Yes they were outside that window right there," said Kento as he pointed a webbed hand at the kitchen window. "I managed to see them runaway but I was unable to get a good look at them."

"Whoever they were they were strong, their presence alone was terrifying," said Shikamaru.

"What are you two talking about?" Asked Sakura.

"I don't think we should notify Naruto about this, it's too insignificant to bring him here," croaked Kento.

"I guess you're right, but we need to let Tsunade-sama know about this."

"Alright guys what is this all about?"

"Yes I agree, better to let the Hokage know then to get Naruto all riled up," replied Kento.

"Alright everyone just stop talking and listen to me! What in the world is going on here Shikamaru! Who was out there, and what do you two mean about not notifying Naruto. What in the world would you be notifying him of?" Yelled Sakura.

Shikamaru winced and slowly looked down at Sakura. Her pink hair was a bit messy and she was clearly annoyed. He thought for a moment on how he was going to manage explaining things to her without getting himself killed. Sakura crossed her arm against her chest and waited for Shikamaru to explain himself.

"There's no use in hiding things from you any longer Sakura. Honestly I think it's better that you just know, especially since things are getting more dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"Yes, you want to know who was out there. It was the enemy Sakura, and he was watching you."

Sakura froze in fear; she couldn't believe what she just heard. Suddenly the dark living room was engulfed in a flash of light. Both Sakura and Shikamaru covered their eyes from the sudden burst of light.

"What the hell are you guys doing anyway?" Asked Ino.

She was standing by the living room light switch wearing a large baggy shirt. Her long hair was in disarray; she was clearly puzzled at the scene before her.

"For the love of god Ino how about a little warning," groaned Shikamaru.

"I'm still waiting for an answer Shikamaru." Snapped Ino.

"Of course you are," muttered Shikamaru. "Look this is serious please turn that light off and turn the light on in my room instead."

Ino gave Shikamaru a questionable look. She was sleepy, confused, and agitated that their talking had woken her up.

"What in the world are you talking…"

"I'm serious Ino, do it now," demanded Shikamaru.

Ino jumped and she realized Shikamaru wasn't in the mood, nor was he playing with her. She turned the light off in the living room and turned the bedroom light on like instructed. She slowly walked into the living room and without saying a word she joined Sakura on the couch.

"Now listen you two it looks like there was someone spying on Sakura. Obviously it would seem they were sent to simply locate her."

"How can you be sure of that?" Asked Kento.

"Simple this person was strong. They could have come in here and taken or even killed Sakura if they wanted too, instead they fled."

"If that's true what would have happened to you if you would have stayed at Naruto's," whispered Ino.

"I don't even want to think about that," said Sakura.

"What do we do now Shika?"

"That's hard to say Ino, we're stuck in a rock and hard place right now. I honestly don't want us to leave, we could be walking into a trap if we did. Same thing if I went alone, I'd be leaving you two vulnerable to an attack and there's no way I could handle an encounter alone if I was ambushed outside."

"Well how about we call for help," said Ino

"No I wouldn't want to put someone else in danger by having them come here," said Shikamaru.

"Plus Tsunade-sama doesn't have a phone in her living quarters, and at this hour there's no one in Hokage tower," added Sakura.

"So we're stuck here like sitting ducks," said Ino.

"Yes we're just going to have to sit tight until sunrise. That's only a few hours away so here's what we're going to do. I want you two to sleep in my bedroom alright. I'll keep watch until sunrise. If anything happens Kento will fetched Naruto."

"Alright Shika."

Both girls got up and made their way to the bedroom. Shikamaru followed, and once he was in his room he opened one of his dresser drawers. He pulled out his clothes and walked back to the living room. He figured he better get dressed, this way he could at least have some weapons at his disposal. Kento hopped off Shikamaru's shoulder and made his way towards Sakura.

"Shikamaru," whispered Ino.

Shikamaru turned around and smirked at his girlfriend.

"Look I won't let anything happen to either one of you alright. Just try and get some rest okay."

He softly kissed Ino on the forehead and made his way deeper into the living room. Ino walked back into the bedroom and sat on the bed next to Sakura.

"Are you okay?" Asked Ino.

"I guess so," murmured Sakura. "Do you know what's going on Ino? Shikamaru told me there was no use in hiding things from me anymore. What exactly did he mean?"

Ino looked surprised and hesitated to answer. Before she could reassure Sakura that she knew nothing the pink hair kunoichi spoke.

"Please don't lie to me Ino, I just want to know what the hell is going on," whispered Sakura.

"Sakura I…"

"Please Ino you're my best friend. If my child and I are in danger I have the right to know why and who's behind this," pleaded Sakura.

Ino was torn; she had no idea what to do. Sakura's eyes glazed over as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. Ino looked worriedly at her and sighed in defeat.

"Naruto ran into Team 8 on route to his mission today. He and Kiba got into a fight and afterwards Kiba reviled that he had to get home because of the importance of their findings in Kumogakure."

"What exactly was so important, and what does this have to do with what just happened?"

Ino looked back at Sakura's tear streaked face; she couldn't believe she was about to tell her about him. She gathered her wits and took in a deep breath; she prepared herself for the worst.

"Team 8 intercepted Sasuke in Kumogakure Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun..."

Yes it would seem that he's behind everything. The disappearances, the attack I was involved in, and quite possibly the spy that just ran off."

"Sasuke-kun is behind this?" Asked Sakura.

"Yes Sakura, everything that has been happening is all because of him."

"I can't believe this, and Naruto knows?"

"Yes that's why he sent Kento. He wanted to make sure he had a way to get back to you in case something happened."

Sakura looked at the toad in her lap.

"Naruto can only do so much Sakura. He can sense if the village is in danger but there isn't much he could do about it since he's in another village. He sent me so that I can do a reverse summoning on him. By doing that he'd be here in an instant," said Kento.

Sakura remained silent, Ino watched her intently. She was eager to hear what Sakura had to say on the matter.

"Naruto," whispered Sakura. "Like always he thinks of me first."

"Sakura I'm so sorry about not telling you. We all thought it was better for you not to know."

"Am I really that bad Ino?" Asked Sakura as she wiped her tears away from her face.

"What are you talking about?"

"With Sasuke-kun, am I that much of an emotional disaster whenever he's involved."

"Sakura," whispered Ino.

"I can see why none of you told me. Every time I hear his name I revert back to my younger self. I've always made a mess of things whenever I have to deal with Sasuke-kun. I thought I loved him Ino, but now I know better. I never knew what he was going through. I had no idea about his obsession with revenge. I know that I'll never have the old Sasuke-kun come back home. I can't continue being this useless when it comes to him. I need to grow up and accept reality. He tried to kill me twice before Ino. He showed no emotion, or remorse whatsoever. He was expressionless at the thought of my life ending by his hands. If he learned I was pregnant with Naruto's child he'd relish in the thought of killing me."

"Sakura do you really think he'd do something like that?"

"Yes Ino I do. If you would have asked me that when he first left Konoha I would have said no. Unfortunately I've lost all hope in him, he's a monster."

"I just can't believe Sasuke has fallen so far into darkness Sakura. What about Naruto, do you think he still has hope for him?"

"I wish I knew, Naruto doesn't even talk about Sasuke-kun with me anymore. I don't know if it's because of my typical reaction to the subject, or because he himself has given up. All I know is that I have to help Naruto this time."

"Are you crazy Sakura you can't do that," warned Ino.

"Well I don't mean physically going with Naruto and helping him. I mean I want to support him 100% in what he plans to do about this situation. I refuse to be unreliable when it comes to Sasuke-kun. Especially now that our child's life is at stake."

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><p>Naruto sat on his sleeping bag deep in thought; he was in a small room in the home of the village elders of Koka. Moegi and the boys were eating breakfast in the dining room. Naruto took this time of solitude to reflect on what he had learned the moment they approached the village. He crossed his arms and hung his head low. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind.<p>

"Things are way different than I first thought Kyuubi," whispered Naruto.

"**Yes, it's annoying."**

"This place does have a few bandits, but there are also some pretty strong chakra signatures around the entire village. They're hostile and they aren't just traveling shinobi that are passing by. It's almost as if these individuals followed the bandits here."

"**Those idiots were being hunted Naruto."**

"Hunted?"

"**Yes that would explain all this fear."**

"You're right I've never felt so much paranoia before. It sucks that I was unable to sense this earlier on. I wonder if this has to do with Sasuke."

"**It's too early to tell, but we should proceed with caution."**

"Agreed, now I just need to think how we're going to handle this."

"**Like I said before we should just do everything ourselves."**

"No we aren't doing that. I'm captain of this team and I'm making sure that my teammates get to participate. Beside they're extra help Kyuubi. They're excellent shinobi, they aren't useless like you think they are. Besides the more help we have the faster we can finish this mission and get back home to Sakura-chan."

"**Fine but if those brats mess up it's your fault."**

"They won't mess up, I have faith in them."

The Kyuubi snorted in disgust as it drifted back into Naruto's sub consciousness. Naruto opened his eyes and looked around the small room; he was still alone. He sat up and made his way to the dining room. He walked down a small hall way; he stretched his arms up high above his head. He entered a small dining room where he found the rest of his team sitting in front of a table eating breakfast. Naruto had eaten earlier, while the rest of his team was still asleep. He had decided to let the kids get a little more rest; they needed it far more than he did. He stood in front of the table and cleared his throat.

"So are you guys almost done?"

All three youths had their mouths full, so they all nodded their heads yes.

"Good, we're leaving as soon as you're done."

"Yes Naruto-Taicho," said the three young shinobi in unison.

Just then a plump older women and thin old man strolled into the dining room. The cubby women looked at Naruto and smiled sweetly.

"Oh my dear are you sure you and your team won't stay a little longer and rest?"

"Oh no ma'am we have a job to do," replied Naruto.

"Are you sure, you're just children."

"They aren't children Momo, at least they aren't you're run of the mill children," said the older gentlemen. "These here are shinobi, and we requested their help remember?"

"Oh of course I remember Watari you old fool. I just can't get over the fact that they're so young."

"Sure they're young but they sent the best. This here is Uzumaki Naruto, the hero that saved us all. I knew Tsunade wouldn't fail us," said Watari proudly.

Naruto smiled sheepishly at the old man's remark.

"That may be but he's still young," scolded Momo. "I can believe you youths are here to save our tiny village. We must look horribly incompetent."

"Ma'am don't beat yourselves up, you aren't incompetent," said Naruto.

"Oh bless you're heart Naruto, you really are a sweet one."

Naruto grinned at Momo; he was about to excuse himself when he remembered he needed to thank her for something.

"Oh I almost forgot. Thanks again for fixing my pants ma'am."

"Oh it's no problem my dear, I think those pants of yours were the biggest laundry challenge I've ever gotten. It was horrific how much blood was on them, but no stain is too tuff for my experience. I still can't believe you were attacked by a bear, they usually keep to themselves."

Naruto heard soft snickering from the dining room table. Konohamaru couldn't help but chuckle at Naruto's lie behind the gash in his leg. Naruto gave him a dirty look when Momo wasn't looking.

"Yeah well I had to save one of my underlings. Konohamaru here could have been dragged to his death if I hadn't of interfered," said Naruto.

Konohamaru almost choked on his breakfast. Before he could protest Moegi roughly jabbed him roughly in his ribs. She gave him a warning stare. Konohamaru swallowed his food and quickly stopped pestering Naruto.

"Well thank goodness you saved your team. I'm happy you have a medic on your team. You could have really been in a lot of danger had she not stopped the bleeding," said Momo.

"You're right ma'am I know Moegi will be able to assist you with any sick or wounded you may have."

Momo looked over at Moegi and smiled.

"My dear the doctors at the clinic are going to be thrilled to see you."

"I'm going to do my best in helping in any way I can ma'am," said Moegi.

"I'm sure you will."

"Well ma'am if you'll excuse me I need to speak with your husband," said Naruto.

"Yes Momo I need to help Naruto here in any way I can," added Watari.

"Very well then," said Momo.

Naruto followed Watari as the both of them made their way outside. Watari stood outside his house and looked around his village.

"I've been the village elder for 40 years Naruto, and never has my village been in such peril. My people are basically prisoners in their own home."

"What exactly has been going on, and for how long?" Asked Naruto.

"Bandits have taken over our trading paths. Before it was extremely rare to be attacked on these paths. They have been safe for generations. However a few months ago we started experiencing a rise in attacks. Soon many villagers were too scared to travel to Konoha or any other close villages to trade."

"So why haven't you asked for our help sooner?"

"Pride I suppose. My mother was a distant cousin to the fire daimyo's father and quite honestly I've never like mentioning it. I wanted to fix the problem myself. I didn't want to resort to bloodline for assistance. However my selfish decision has made my village suffer. We have many who are injured or who have fallen ill. Our shortage in medical supplies and food is more that apparent. Tsunade was becoming cornered in the lack of activity she saw from our village and Konoha. I finally gave in and told her what was going on. She wasted no time on sending a team. Now I stand here before you Naruto, please help us."

"Rest assured sir I plan on fixing everything, so please don't worry."

Just then the rest of Naruto's team walked outside.

"Perfect timing," said Naruto. "Now sir please refrain anyone from leaving the village. I can tell some people are curious to the reason behind our visit. I suggest you inform them on what's going on for their own safety. I can't afford to have civilians following us in the woods."

"Yes of course," said Watari.

"Alright you three lets head out," ordered Naruto.

Before Watari could say anything else the four young shinobi in front of him vanished. He looked around in disbelief; he couldn't tell which way they had gone. Momo walked out and joined her husband's side.

"They're gone?" She asked.

"Yes it would seem so my dear, now come we need to have a village meeting."

Momo nodded and grasped her husband's hand. Together hand in hand the old couple walked to the village hall. There they would inform everyone that Konoha had stepped in to help. Watari hoped that soon he could face his villagers again without so much shame in his heart.

Naruto lead his team to the outskirts of the village. He wanted to make sure their conversation wasn't heard by any villagers. Once he knew the coast was clear he removed a map from his backpack.

"Alright now listen up here's what's going on. The villagers are getting attacked on these two main trading paths," said Naruto as he pointed to the map. "Now I can already tell you guys that these bandits aren't very bright, they've been camping in the woods for months."

"But I thought that these people were too scared to continue trading. Why in the world would these guys stay if there aren't any people to steal from?" Asked Moegi.

"Fear, every single one of these men is scared shitless," said Naruto.

"Scared of what exactly?" Asked Udon.

"Maybe they caught wind of us coming," said Konohamaru.

"No they don't know we're here, it's something else. Watari said that his village rarely had any problems with bandits, and then all of a sudden there was a wave of activity a few months ago. I think these guys were kicked out of their territory by a much bigger threat than them. So in desperation they've been staying here praying on this village."

"Wow this is turning out to be interesting," said Konohamaru.

"Yeah I guess you could say that. It seems this situation has more behind then I first thought. Anyhow this is what I want you three to do. Moegi you're to report to the clinic here and heal the sick and wounded. Konohamaru, Udon you guys are to make sure the village perimeter isn't breached and is safe. I'm going to find these idiots main camp ground so that we can plan an attack later on today. Now get your communicators and set them to channel 2."

"So it'll just be us in charge of the village?" Asked Udon as he fumbled with his communicator.

"Yes, I'm counting on you three to take care of the village. Be alert, and keep out of sight, the residents here are very skittish. Remember to report anything suspicious, and do not I repeat do not engage anyone alone."

"Why not, you just said these guys are just stupid bandits," said Konohamaru.

"Yes I did say that, but they're aren't who I'm worried about."

"Then who are you worried about?" Asked Moegi.

"I'm worried about the individuals that have scared these bandits so much that they haven't budged in months."

The three young shinobi all glanced at each other. Before they could question Naruto any further in the matter he spoke.

"Okay you three let's get down to business. Moegi make sure to let us know when you're done, well meet up as soon as you are."

"Right Naruto-Taicho."

"Alright then I'll see you all soon," said Naruto, and in an instance he was gone.

"This is turning out to be bigger than we thought," said Udon nervously.

"Yeah we need to be careful especially if Naruto-Taicho is worried," said Moegi.

Konohamaru was silent as his two teammates discussed what could possibly be happening. He looked at the both of them and sighed.

"There's something he isn't telling us you guys."

"You really think so?" Asked Udon.

"Yeah, Naruto-niichan wouldn't warn us just because of a hunch. I think he knows who's here along with the bandits. His real reasoning for leaving is to find the real threat first."

"You're right Konohamaru. The three of us could have easily found the bandits camp site with simple tracking. Naruto Taicho wouldn't waste time looking for them, instead he's using his heightened senses to search for someone else," said Moegi.

"Exactly he knows he can't afford to leave the village unprotected so he left us here to guard it."

"I can't believe we have such a big responsibly. We can't afford to mess this up," said Udon.

"You're right people's lives are at stake here," added Moegi.

"I know, come on Udon lets escort Moegi to the clinic. We'll split up and check the perimeter when we get there."

"Right," said Udon.

The three Konoha shinobi took off quickly towards the village's clinic. A pair of intense cerulean blue eyes watched them leave. Naruto smirked, he knew they'd figure things out sooner than later.

"See and you thought they were useless. I told you they are excellent shinobi. Together they were able to see through my lie."

"**Don't get so excited they still need to prove themselves in combat," snapped the Kyuubi.**

"Alright fine I'll give you that one, but I'm not worried."

"**Why did you purposefully lie to them if you knew they'd figure it out?"**

"Well for starters to buy us some time in our search. If I would have told them from the get go about this stronger chakra signature Konohamaru would have been determined to follow me. Plus now that they think they've outsmarted me they have a stronger sense of purpose and responsibility about the roles I left them in charge of."

"**Well at least they won't be in our way," muttered the Kyuubi.**

"You're such a grouch you know that," said Naruto as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Wow what a lazy ending on my part XD but I was in a hurry. Besides every time I end a chapter with a witty remark I have to write more and more and the next thing I know I have like over 10,000 words. So I hope you guys enjoyed the new twists and turns that have been added. Next chapter will have some surprises, suspense, and some awesome action. Thanks to my regular reviewers and to those that continue to add my story to their favorites.<p>

Kat


	19. Chapter 19:Storm of trouble

Hello everyone, yes I'm alive ^^; I haven't updated since August and for that I'm sorry. I've had a world wind of things happen in my life that kept me from writing. To keep things short I'm pregnant with my second child. My first trimester was so much more horrible then it was with my first child. I basically had nonstop nausea and heartburn this time around. I was also so tired and drained so writing was the last thing on my mind. Now I'm in my second trimester and I feel so much better :D I'm going to be updating a lot sooner. I have to finish this story before I get huge. Sitting at a computer chair when very pregnant is painful. Anyhow onto the story, this chapter will be filled with twists, and turns and some unexpected surprises. So many questions will be answered while new questions arise…yeah sorry I'm evil that way XD So then enjoy and review!

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO**

* * *

><p>It had been a little over an hour since Naruto had separated from the rest of his team. The morning in Koka had started out quite lovely, but as Naruto leaped from branch to branch the sun was slowly being consumed by thick grey clouds. Naruto looked up at the sky as his shadow began to fade; a wave of mixed emotions came over him. He was growing exceedingly frustrated with his search efforts.<p>

"I don't understand what the hell is going on here. This chakra signature keeps disappearing on me and then it pops up in random areas. It's obvious now that this individual is no longer here, but that doesn't explain the erratic behavior of their chakra."

Naruto paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. Just then a low bellow of thunder rumbled in the clouds above. Naruto winced in annoyance and crossed his arms.

"Oh this is just great, as if things weren't already peachy. Oh well at least we'll have a little more cover now with this overcast weather. I just hope it doesn't rain right away, I'm not in the mood to get wet," muttered Naruto.

He sighed and turned his attention from the weather to the trail of chakra he had once again lost. He looked down at the ground below him and decided to change his searching strategy. He jumped down and stretched his arms up high.

"Oh well if I can't sense the chakra then I'll just have to rely on good old fashion tracking now wont I."

Naruto began walking through the woods; he pulled out his map and began gaining his bearings. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks; the large chakra signature he had just lost was getting stronger. He looked around cautiously making sure all his senses were on alert. Once it was obvious that he was alone Naruto wasted no time concentrating on the chakra signature and its direction. He picked up its trail and grew wary of its position. He looked back town at the map he was holding and it was then that his blood ran cold.

"What the hell, it's heading towards Konoha. This can't be, why in the world didn't I sense it during our travelling, and why didn't we encounter these guys on route here!" Said Naruto.

His heart began to race at the thought of Sakura being alone and unaware of the dangers heading her way. The young Jinchuriki took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Alright I need to calm down and just think things through. I'm no good to Sakura-chan if I can't keep my head straight. So then how could something like this happen right under my nose? Maybe this person took a side route. I guess that can explain things but I should have still sensed them. Damn it, I could use some help here! Snapped Naruto. "Kyuubi you really chose a shitty time to take a nap!"

A low growl suddenly filled Naruto's head. The fox demon was obviously annoyed by the rude awakening it had received from its host.

"**I would have liked to have thought that you could handle a simple task like tracking someone's chakra, but it seems I was wrong," yawned the Kyuubi.**

"There were some unseen complications. I've hit a brick wall and things aren't looking good, I need your help."

"**Fine then, what's the problem."**

"That chakra that we sensed literally has a mind of its own."

"**Keh don't speak such nonsense."**

"No I'm serious, I know it sounds crazy but I don't know what else to think."

"**Why have you come to such a ridiculous assumption?"**

"I kept losing the chakra's trail, then it would randomly appearing out of nowhere in a different direction. After some searching I found it again and it was on the same path we took while entering the village. That signature was heading towards Konoha and for all we know that person is already there."

"**That can't be!" Snapped the Kyuubi.**

"I know I don't understand either, why weren't we able to pick up on the signature sooner? Or at least sense that it was heading towards home. Please tell me you know what the hell is going on here Kyuubi."

At first the fox demon said nothing to Naruto, which worried the young shinobi greatly. Finally after a few minutes of silence the Kyuubi sighed heavily.

"**Unfortunately I think I do know what's going on and it isn't anything good Naruto."**

"Well then fill me in already."

"**What's probably going on is that this person we've been sensing knows all too well how your powers work. They've been leading us on a wild goose chase. There's only one way a person can hide their chakra, their scent, and even their intent and that's through a power forbidden chakra concealing jutsu."**

"They knew about my heighten senses and that I can sense chakra too. That must means they're working for Sasuke."

"**That's right that Uchiha brat made sure this person concealed their chakra so that you couldn't pick up on their presence at all. However this jutsu only lasts so long and after a few hours it starts to fade. That's why you kept losing the trail of chakra. This person has been running around the whole forest like a maniac to throw you off track. You started getting bits of the chakra because the jutsu is wearing off. Soon we'll be able to fully sense and smell this conniving fool."**

"This is bad Sakura-chan has no idea about anything. I was an idiot for not telling her about Sasuke. Now because of me trying to be overprotective of her feelings she can be in real danger."

"**Calm down Naruto, get a hold of yourself. We need to find out who this person is and there are some individuals here who have that information."**

"The bandits…"

"**Exactly those vermin have information that we desperately need. We have to act fast the safety of our mate and pup is at stake."**

"I know the good thing is that Kento hasn't shown himself. So for the time being we're in the clear, but we still must hurry!"

Naruto put his map away and press his communicator, as he started sprinting quickly towards the village

"Moegi what's your status?"

"Oh Naruto-Taicho, I was just leaving last minute instructions with the nurses on duty."

"So you're done tending to the sick and wounded then?"

"Yes there really wasn't anything too serious so things went relatively fast."

"Good, Konohamaru, Udon, what about you guys what's your status?"

"Everything's good on my end Naruto-niichan, the southern border of the village is clear."

"The northern border is clear as well Naruto-Taicho."

"Alright then now listen up you three were confronting the bandits. Meet me were we split up, I'm hauling ass right now so make sure you're there. Also if you haven't already put on your rain coats, looks like it's going to rain."

"Right!" The three shinobi said in unison.

Naruto picked up his pace and made his way towards his three young team mates. A few minutes later he was pleased to see his team waiting for him exactly where he had asked. They eagerly awaited his next orders.

"Right lets hurry up and head out, the location of the bandits is due East," said Naruto as he put on his beige rain coat.

"Wait what happened to that other chakra you were sensing Naruto-niichan?"

"That individual is no longer here and from the looks of it they were headed towards Konoha."

"They're in Konoha?" Yelped Udon.

"Yes so there's no time for further explaining. You'll just have to follow my lead on this alright. Now when we confront these guys I want you three to handle the lackeys. I'll provide support with clones. Once you have them subdued tie them up and confiscate anything they may have on them. Chances are most of their gold belongs to the villagers."

"What about you, what are going to do?" Asked Konohamaru.

"I'm going after the leader of the group, there's some questions I have that need answers. Now enough talking lets head out!"

With that said all four shinobi dashed quickly towards the East. Naruto made his way up towards the trees and the kids could see why. The villagers from Koka were walking around the village and Naruto wanted them to have very little contact with the civilians. They soon entered the dense woods and a light haze shrouded it. The clouds had become darker and in the coverage of the woods one would think it was night time. Thunder began to roar and soon it began to sprinkle. Naruto groaned in irritation as small droplets of water hit his face. He shook his head quickly and continued to lead his team towards their targets. There weren't any stealth tactics to follow; no this was a straight forward attack. Those bandits wouldn't know what hit them. After a few minutes of running at top speed they grew closer to their prey.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu," said Naruto. Four clones appeared next to him, and Naruto swiftly released his Kunai from his sleeve.

"We're almost there, get ready," said Naruto.

In an instant Team Naruto ran into the bandit's campsite. The unsuspecting men began to scramble desperately for their weapons, but they weren't fast enough for the young shinobi. Before they knew it their campsite was hit by various shuriken, smoke bombs, and kunai's.

"What the hell is going on?" One man screamed.

"They're fucking shinobi, ignore that they're kids fucking kill them!" Another yelled.

Konohamaru silenced that man before he could spit out anymore commands. A good swift hit to the back of the neck is all that was needed.

"Nice one," said one of Naruto's clones, but we have a few more to take care of."

Konohamaru nodded and he quickly followed the clone to finish off the rest of the men. Even with the chaos around him Naruto was able to scan the area for the bandit leader. He quickly located his target and made a break for him. He left his team to finish off the rest of the riffraff as he made his way toward the back of the campsite. Soon he found himself face to face with a large man who was easily three times bigger than Naruto. This guy was your typical thug. He was very muscular and riddled with scars on his arms and face.

The large man was sitting in front of an open fire with a large mug in his hand. Across his lap was a rather large Lucerne hammer. He took a swig from his mug and tossed it aside when he was done. He leaned back into the large tree behind him and yawned. Apparently the weather wasn't bothering him, as his body grew soaked by the rain. Finally the man acknowledged Naruto and he slowly looked at the blonde shinobi before him. He then glanced at his team of men being tied up.

"You have a lot of balls just barging in here and attacking my men kid. I'm guessing that old geezer in the village hired himself some fancy shinobi. It was only a matter of time I suppose but just so you know I'm not coming easily," said the bandit as he popped his neck.

"Oh please spare me the idle chit chat," snapped Naruto. "Now look I'm not only here to pick up the garbage, but you have information that I need."

"Ha I have something that you want huh, now isn't this a wonderful situation. Perhaps we can work something out then. Let's see, how about me and my men's freedom for this precious information you so badly want."

Naruto retracted his kunai into his spring loaded wire he had strapped under his right arm. He crossed his arms and glared at the man before him. He wanted to just beat the man to a bloody pulp, but he needed him to talk.

"Look I'm asking nicely and there won't be any deal worked out here so I suggest you speak up."

"Alright kid you're really pissing me off with this high and mighty attitude of yours. I'm no push over like my men, and I won't hesitate on killing you and your team," yelled the bandit as he tighten his grip on his hammer.

Naruto had had enough; he rushed the man and punched him in the stomach. The man lurched over with his mouth wide open. He gasped for air but before he could catch his breath Naruto grabbed his throat and pinned him roughly against the tree behind him.

"I know you're here out of fear, and believe you me you won't know what real fear is until you see me mad," growled Naruto.

He tighten his grip on the man's throat and bared his elongated fangs. The bandit struggled and pulled at Naruto's arm. The poor fool was expecting to break the blonde shinobi's hold on him, or perhaps his arm. However he had no idea who he was dealing with and soon fear consumed the giant in front of Naruto.

"Are you ready to talk?"

"Yeesss…"

"Good, now hurry up and tell me why you've been here for months," said Naruto.

He released the man and waited as he gasped for air. The bandit rubbed his throat and looked up at Naruto wide eyed.

"Just who the hell are you kid, you really got some strength there."

"Talk!" Ordered Naruto.

"Right, my men and I come from Kumogakure. We were hired by a women named Fuyu a few months back. She offered me a sweet deal, one that I couldn't refuse. She wanted me and my men to jump, loot, and capture wandering travelers, traders, and even just towns people. We could have whatever they had on them of value, plus Fuyu would pay us extra when we gave her the bodies."

"Did you kill them then?"

"No no nothing like that. We were just doing what bandits do, the only difference was that someone was paying us for our services. Anyhow after a month we met who we were really working for. Turns out that Fuyu was working for Uchiha Sasuke himself."

"Sasuke…"

"Oh so you've heard of him, well then again who hasn't right. Anyway I only met him in person once, the other times he did this creepy projection thing, it wasn't natural. His eyes were terrifying to look at, that kid is one scary mother fucker. Over the years I've met people who are cold hearted and cruel. Oh but nothing beats this guy, he's just pure evil."

"Where did you meet him, did you see his hideout?"

"No we met in different places, we had more contact with Fuyu then Sasuke. One thing though all this did happen in Kumogakure, right under the Raikage's nose."

"Why did Sasuke want the bodies?"

"Well from what rumors we heard amongst the others he hired he wanted them for experiments. He was basically using these people as lab rats. Something about perfecting some virus, I'm not really sure what the hell he was doing. All that mattered to us was the money and for a while things were good, that was until things went sour with us and Fuyu. All of a sudden that bitch turned on us and started snatching my men. She said that Sasuke wanted no loose ends, something about us being a liability. So I took what men I had left and we made a run for it. We lost her for a while here in these woods so to regain our wits we stayed here. Then yesterday that bitch turns up in our camp and I was sure we were done for. She toyed with me and told me we were old news. Apparently she was doing a much bigger job for Sasuke. She said she had to take care of something in Konoha for him. Then she and her party just left just like that."

"So she is heading for Konoha then. Tell me everything you know about Fuyu, what's she like."

"Oh let me tell you at first glance she just looks like one fine piece of ass, but she's one deadly vixen. That and she's insane, I always thought it was a shame that she was a looney. Anyhow she's got long jet black hair and is one of them fancy Taijutsu masters. So she's no pushover kid. She also has a big ass cat with her all the time. So if you want to get to her you gotta deal with that cat's claws and fangs."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah that's all I know really, no need for any beatings or anything."

Naruto ignored the bandit's last comment and thought feverishly on what he should do first. Suddenly a crackle of thunder rang out and a flash of lighting illuminated the darkened campsite. This quick flash of lighting gave the bandit a good look at the young man's face that was in front of him. His eyes widen and he frantically tried to crawl away from the shinobi.

"Holy shit you're him, you're Uzumaki Naruto…"

Hearing his name snapped him out of his train of thought and Naruto looked down at the fear stricken man. He reached for the man's shirt and effortlessly lifted him from the ground. He pulled him close and glared at the bandit.

"You're right, I'd consider yourself lucky. However if you struggle or give any of my team members any trouble things will get ugly."

With that said Naruto threw the man behind him and into the arms of his awaiting team members. They tied his arms behind his back and placed him next to his men.

"Everyone has been captured Naruto-niichan, and all valuables have been confiscated. What do we do now?" Asked Konohamaru.

"We're heading back to village to give our status report to the village elder. Then we leave for Konoha immediately. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Yelled Naruto as he placed his palm on the wet floor.

A huge red toad well over 10 feet appeared before everyone in a cloud of white smoke. He croaked loudly and lowered his large body to the floor. He then slowly began to open his mouth. Naruto walked over to some of the tied men and picked them up so they were standing. He pushed them towards the toad's mouth.

"In you go," he ordered.

"You want us to go in there, that thing's going to eat us," one man yelped.

"Stop being such a pussy and get in there you spineless fool!" Yelled the bandit leader.

He much rather walk into a toads mouth willingly then have to deal with Naruto's wrath. All the men walked slowly into the toad's mouth. Once the last one was inside the toad closed its mouth and swallowed them whole. It then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Wow that was awesome, that's one sweet way to transport these guys to prison," said Konohamaru.

"That was utterly disgusting Konohamaru!" Yelled Moegi.

"Alright enough with the talking lets go," ordered Naruto. He ran his fingers through his wet hair and groaned. "I hate the rain," he muttered.

* * *

><p>Naruto knocked on the front door of Watari, Koka's village elder. The elderly man answered the door, he was rather surprised to see Naruto and his team return so quickly.<p>

"Oh Naruto I wasn't expecting you all back so soon. Was the weather too bad to locate the bandits?"

"Oh no sir we're done, we located the bandits and have them in our custody. They'll be coming with us to Konoha for imprisonment. Here I believe this all belongs to your village," said Naruto as he handed over a large bundle of money.

Watari was still in shock at how fast everything was happening. He reluctantly took the money and looked back at Naruto.

"I can't believe that my stubbornness kept my village suffering for so long. If I would have asked for help sooner things wouldn't have gotten so bleak."

"Don't blame yourself sir, really. All that matters is that your village is safe now."

"I suppose your right," whispered the old man.

"Watari who's at the door?" Asked Momo.

The plump old women soon came to the door and she smiled warmly at the soaked youths in front of her.

"Oh my please come inside its pouring outside," begged Momo.

"Thank you ma'am but were in a rush, we're needed back home immediately."

"Is everything alright? Asked Watari.

"It will be as soon as we get there," replied Naruto. "Now I'm making sure that new supplies leave Konoha today and they should arrive here no later than tomorrow. Also at your request a team of shinobi can stay here in your village if you'd like. However I can assure you that your village's trading paths are safe once more."

"That all sounds wonderful Naruto, but I'll take your word that we're safe. Believe me if we need help I will not hesitate to ask."

Naruto grinned at the old man while Moegi approach the village elder.

"I'd like to add that I left extra medical supplies with the nurses at your clinic. There should be more then plenty to last you until you get your new supplies," said Moegi.

"Thank you all so much, you've really saved us all."

"It was nothing sir, it was our pleasure. Now we hate to rush but we really must be going," said Naruto.

"Oh but it's awful outside you'll catch your deaths out there if you travel now," said Momo."

"Don't worry ma'am I'm using a special technique that will take us home instantly. So we won't be traveling in this weather," assured Naruto.

"You see Momo shinobi's are full of surprises," chuckled Watari.

Momo rolled her eyes at her husband's remark and instead of lecturing the old man she leaned towards Naruto and hugged him. She then made her way to his younger companions, making sure to give each one a warm hug.

"Now please promise me you'll be safe when you get home," said Momo.

"We promise ma'am, everything will be alright," replied Naruto.

He shook Watari's hand and said goodbye to the elderly couple. He then lead his team away from the couples porch and back into the rain. Before anyone could ask what was going on Naruto spoke.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Yelled Naruto.

The classic white smoke appeared again but there was no 10 foot tall toad in front of them this time. Instead it was Kento the small toad Naruto had summoned the other day.

"Where's Sakura-chan Kento, is she alright?"

"Yeah boss she's staying at Shikamaru's, she's actually still asleep."

"Good, has anything strange happened since I left?"

"Actually yes, there was an incident last night. I know Shikamaru will explain everything."

"Alright then take us home Kento."

* * *

><p>Shikamaru left his kitchen with a piece of toast in his mouth. He had stayed up most of the night, since he was too paranoid to sleep. However hunger had started to plague him so he decided to get something to munch on. Ino was sitting on the couch eating something as well. She saw Shikamaru making his way towards her but before he could walk back into his living room a plume of white smoke appeared in front of him. Startled Shikamaru took a few steps back and Ino squealed. Before he had any time to react Naruto quickly walked out of the smoke. He looked his surroundings over and turned around nodding to someone. It was then that the smoke cleared and Shikamaru could see that Naruto wasn't alone. He was accompanied by Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi as well.<p>

"Where are we Naruto-niichan, this isn't Hokage tower," said Konohamaru.

"Oh no did something go wrong, did we reverse summon somewhere else?" Whimpered Udon.

Shikamaru's mouth dropped open at the sight before him; the piece of toast that he had in his mouth fell to the floor. Shikamaru quickly approached Naruto and grabbed his shoulder.

"Crap thank god you're here Naruto," said Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru-kun?" Asked Moegi.

Shikamaru looked at the young shinobi behind Naruto and smirked.

"I see you guys are done with your mission in Koka, or at least I hope you are."

"No you're right we're done with our mission. It was a good thing I was assigned this mission too, I ended up getting some rather important information. It's a vital piece to the growing puzzle we've been dealing with. So we need to get to Baa-chan ASAP."

Ino got up from the couch and marched up to Naruto. Her sudden movement caught him off guard.

"Damn it Naruto you scared me half to death, why can't you make normal visits like everyone else," huffed Ino as she held her chest.

"Sorry Ino but we couldn't afford to make the trip by foot so we reversed summoned instead," said Naruto sheepishly.

Ino looked him and his team over with a stern look. All of them were soaking wet and the kids were as surprised as Ino was. She sighed deeply and relaxed.

"Well it's not like you meant to scare me, so I'll let it slide. Let me get you guys some towels so you can at least be dry when you talk to Tsunade-sama. Go ahead and take your coats off, the weather is much nicer here," said Ino.

She quickly made her way to the restroom to retriever some towels for her friends. She returned with some towels and Naruto and his team removed their wet coats and began to dry themselves. Naruto continued talking to Shikamaru as he dried himself.

"So what the hell happened last night?"

"Well around 3am something woke me up, I decided it was nothing but I still got up to check on Sakura just in case. The coast was clear so I decided to use the restroom. However when I was done the entire atmosphere had changed and I knew I was being watch. Sure enough Kento told me the person had just left but there was someone indeed watching Sakura. I had the girls go to bed in my room while I stayed up here in the living room."

"Crap I was too late," muttered Naruto. "What about Sakura-chan was she aware she was being watched?"

"Eventually yes she did. She woke up while Kento and I were talking about our unwanted guest. Let me tell you Naruto she wasn't very happy about me not telling her what was going on. So I had no choice and I had to let her in on things."

"So what did you end up telling her then?"

Shikamaru looked at Ino and then at Naruto and sighed. He felt horrible that he and Ino weren't able to keep Sakura in the dark a little longer. Now he had to go and tell Naruto the bad news.

"Sorry Naruto, Ino and I tried to keep information minimal but Sakura wasn't having it. We ended up telling her everything, Sasuke and all."

"I was afraid of that, then again I should have just told her the truth from the get go. It's alright though don't worry about it, I was going to tell her anyway myself," whispered Naruto.

"She was a little shaken up, but I know she understands your reasons for not telling her Naruto," replied Ino.

"I hope you're right, anyhow where is she we need to leave now, time is of the essence."

"She's still asleep in Shika's room," said Ino.

"Alright I'll wake Sakura-chan so we can leave."

"Sure thing," replied Shikamaru calmly.

Naruto entered Shikamaru's bedroom and found Sakura sleeping soundly in bed. He was so relieved to see for himself that she was indeed alright and unharmed. Part of him just wanted to leave her sleeping, but he knew it wasn't safe to leave her or any of his friends here. Naruto knelt down by the bedside and placed his hand on her exposed shoulder. He gently nudged her from her slumber. Soon a pair of jade eyes were focusing on him.

"Naruto?" Whispered Sakura.

"Hey Sakura-chan, I'm home," said Naruto.

Sakura's eyes shot wide open when she realized she wasn't dreaming. Indeed right in front of her was her boyfriend. She practically jumped out of bed and hugged Naruto tightly around the neck.

"You're really here! Oh my god is everything alright, what about your mission? Why did you come back so quickly, you didn't abandon it did you? Asked Sakura.

"Sakura-chan calm down, there really isn't time to explain. Just get dressed you'll get your questions answered the sooner we leave so hurry."

Sakura reluctantly nodded her head and began to gather her clothes. She quickly got dressed and followed Naruto into the living room. So much was happening Sakura had no idea what was going on, but at least she saw that Naruto was still with his team.

"Alright let's get going everyone gather around Kento and hold still," ordered Naruto.

Kento croaked as everyone took their place around him. He waited for Naruto to give the order. Once everyone was ready Naruto nodded at Kento and in an instant they were all gone.

* * *

><p>Tsunade sat at her desk and sighed in frustration. She couldn't stand how her paper work got higher and higher with each passing day. Given if she actually worked on it things would be different, but she couldn't stand being a paper pusher. Suddenly she turned her attention to the middle of her office and a few sections later a loud pop was heard. Her entire office was filled with white smoke. She folded her hands and placed her chin gently upon them. She waited patiently, and soon she saw several of her shinobi walk from the smoke. Naruto was one of the first and he quickly made his way to her desk.<p>

"Baa-chan we need to talk, Konoha has been infiltrated by one of Sasuke's underlings. You need to alert the ANBU and any other shinobi you can," begged Naruto.

Tsunade's calm demeanor began to fade. She looked Naruto over and could tell that he wasn't over exaggerating.

"Who's the intruder?" Asked Tsunade as she rose from her seat.

"Her name is Fuyu, she's in her early 20's thin framed with jet black hair. Apparently she's not sane and she's also a very powerful taijutsu master. She's not alone either, she's accompanied by her men and a large mountain lion."

"I saw her last night," said Sakura.

"You did when and where exactly?" Asked Tsunade.

"Lee-san and I saw her entering the village gates yesterday night around 9:15 I supposed. He's the one that noticed her, Lee-san that is. He said that she would be a formidable match for him. I have to admit that I was surprised to see someone so strong entering the village, but she seemed nice."

"Looks can be deceiving," whispered Tsunade.

Suddenly an ANBU member appeared next to Tsunade. He quickly bowed in front of her and awaited his orders.

"Yes Hokage-sama."

"We have an intruder in the village alert everyone. She entered yesterday with her mountain lion and team as traveler's so check all the taverns and lodgings in town. She's a very skilled and mentally unstable shinobi so proceed with caution. She's in her early 20's and has long black hair, she also has a mountain lion with her so she shouldn't be hard to find. Make sure she is captured alive."

"Yes ma'am," said the ANBU member.

He quickly disappeared leaving everyone else alone in silence. Suddenly Naruto took in a deep breath; his demeanor changed and he quickly ran towards the window.

"Crap, she's started her attack," said Naruto.

"What were?" Asked Tsunade as she accompanied Naruto by the window.

"I'm not sure exactly where, this stupid concealing jutsu complicates things. She hasn't gone unnoticed though, someone has confronted her."

Naruto closed his eyes to better hone in on Fuyu and her movements. He noticed she was fast but the person pursuing her was faster. The room had grown silent and before Naruto knew it Fuyu was extremely he could say anything numerous explosions surround the village. Everyone else ran towards Tsunade's office window and looked down below. A fight was in commence and smoke was billowing from different parts of the village. Naruto began to crawl out of the window when he felt someone grab his sleeve.

"Where do you think you're going? Asked Sakura.

"I'm going down there and getting this woman to talk, she works closely with Sasuke."

"Then I'm going too," replied Sakura.

"No you're not you're staying here with Baa-chan and my team," said Naruto sternly.

"Uzumaki Naruto I am not a child!" Snapped Sakura.

Naruto looked at her and his expression soften.

"I know you aren't Sakura-chan but you are carrying one," said Naruto as he placed his hand on her belly.

With that said he, Shikamaru, and Ino leaped off the roof of Hokage tower. As they got closer to the ground they could see that Team 11 and Team 8 had intercepted the enemy. Lee was in a heated battle with the dark haired woman Naruto had been talking about. It made sense now, Lee was the person Naruto had felt pursuing Fuyu. Naruto noticed that the rest of the two teams were scuffling with Fuyu's men. Even Akamaru was in his own fight with a certain large mountain lion. Shikamaru and Ino pulled back and landed on the roof of a nearby building. They both were of better use if they were at a distance.

"Naruto ran faster towards the battle and made his move.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Several clones appeared and branched out to the numerous areas Naruto's friends where fighting. He watched as Lee quickly dodged the women's attacks and once he she was open Lee hit her solar plexus. In that moment Naruto came up from behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck. He threw her roughly down to the ground and he quickly looked at Lee.

"Now!" Said Naruto.

Lee knew exactly what to do and he gave her another blow with his fist right in her solar plexus. Fuyu gasped for air, her body hit the floor with such force that cracks began to form on the ground underneath her. Suddenly numerous shadow tentacles wrapped around her limps.

"Gotcha, now Ino go get her!" Yelled Shikamaru.

"You got it Shika baby, Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Yelled Ino.

Her body went limp and she slumped over onto Shikamaru's body. He looked back at the battle below waiting to see if his girlfriend's attack was successful. In a matter of seconds Fuyu's body went limp. Shikamaru's shadow technique brought the young women to her feet. She soon opened her eyes and smirked at everyone in front of her.

"I'm in," replied Ino.

She fell silent again and closed her eyes. After a few tense moments Fuyu opened her eyes again.

"She has a mind sealing jutsu on certain parts of her memory. However they aren't locked away entirely, so if you want to get your information she's going to have to tell you herself. I can't extract anything because of the seal, at least without risking my own safety.

"It's alright Ino, she'll talk. Go ahead and release your jutsu," Said Naruto.

"You got it," replied Ino before she left Fuyu's body.

As soon as Ino left Fuyu regained consciousness and looked at her captures. She smirked at the sight and she didn't seem to upset that she and her men had been captured.

"Now look at me aren't I lucky to have such an impressive audience. Not only do I have the attention of the Hokage herself, but I'm able to be in the presents of Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto turned around quickly and saw that Tsunade had indeed jumped down from the tower. She was now being escorted by 6 ANBU members. Naruto noticed that other ANBU were arriving and helping his friend's suede the rest of Fuyu's followers.

"Baa-chan…"

"You sure have a lot of nerve disturbing the peace in my village. You just thought that you could hit a hornet's nest and not get stung. Something tells me you weren't expecting to have much of fight from us. Why in the world would you take us so lightly? Just look around you and your men have failed miserably," said Tsunade.

"I suppose you're right, Sasuke's informant didn't do too well of a job with their intel. Yet another mistake, I have no idea why Sasuke puts up with them. Anyhow I'm sure after this failure Sasuke will get rid of her permanently," said Fuyu.

"Well you won't have to worry about little things like wrong information ever again. You'll be spending your time in our dungeons."

"Oh for the time being I suppose but Sasuke will come and get me, that is once the time is right," cooed Fuyu.

"Sasuke doesn't risk his hide for anyone, what makes you think he'd come rescue you," snapped Naruto.

"Because Sasuke will be so please with me, what with everything falling into place so perfectly. I'm of great value to Sasuke, even this mission failing isn't a big deal. Honestly I'm starting to think that Sasuke knew I'd get captured, this way he has someone on the inside. It's alright though I don't mind being Sasuke's sacrificial lamb."

"What the hell are you talking about," growled Naruto.

"It's all part of his plan Naruto, all of you have played into things nicely. I mean for starters you failed miserably with solving the virus's purpose. I must admit you were slow to catch on, that and your attempt at a cure was rather amusing."

"I don't see how you see success amusing, I've found a cure," said Tsunade.

"For being a Legendary Senin you're really clueless aren't you, there is no cure Tsunade. Now all Sasuke has to do is wait. All of you will fall into a false scene of security as the months pass by. However that's exactly what he wants, and when the incubation time is perfect he will strike and all the great shinobi villages will fall."

Fuyu threw her head back and laughed hysterically. Everyone watched in horror as this women showed how mentally unstable she was.

"Well now aren't you going to take me away? Like I said everything you do is futile, Sasuke will win."

"Enough!" "Get her and her men out of my sight!" Ordered Tsunade.

An ANBU member with a fox mask approached Fuyu. He looked her over and then quickly hit certain pressure points on her body. Fuyu quickly went limp; this gave Shikamaru a chance to release his shadow jutsu's hold on her. Tsunade looked at the several shinobi around her and spoke.

"The rest of you listen up, there will be a clan meeting in an hour at the councils building. Until then I want to make sure that there aren't any injured shinobi or civilians. Also we must make sure that everyone one in the village is accounted for, and that our borders are secured. Hurry and make sure everything is in order, I'll see you all in an hour," said Tsunade.

She briskly made her way back to Hokage tower while everyone else went their separate ways. Naruto followed Tsunade and soon he was right next to her. She glanced at him quickly however her pace only quickened.

"Where did you get your information from Naruto?"

"From the bandits that were troubling Koka. I have them in custody so you can interrogate them further with Fuyu. However I got a good amount of information that Fuyu didn't talk about."

"Good I want you to share your findings at the meeting, I also need to alert the other Kage's as soon as possible. I'm really going to need your help Naruto. After the meeting I'll have more of a tactical plan at my disposal. I can tell you for sure that the council and the clan leaders are going to want to use you as much as possible. I know before I wanted to keep you caged here in Konoha, but in reality I can't do that any longer. You're going to be our greatest advantaged in all this madness. I can promise you that when you're gone Sakura will be well protected."

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks when Tsunade mentioned Sakura. It was then that he realized that everything she had just said was true. He couldn't be with Sakura all the time, especially now. Tsunade turned around and gave Naruto a questionable look.

"Baa-chan, you think you can do me a favor?" Asked Naruto.

Tsunade walked up to Naruto, she couldn't help but notice how deep in thought he was. She crossed her arms and decided to hear him out.

"A favor, what could you possibly want at a time like this!"

Naruto winced from Tsunade's tone, but he really needed her help. He looked back at her too see that she was still transfixed on him.

"Look Baa-chan I know this isn't the best time, but I need you to marry Sakura-chan and I."

"Marry?"

"Look it isn't what you think," said Naruto.

"How can I misunderstand marriage Naruto!"

"No, well what I mean is that I just want it to be official. I need there to be a marriage license. Now more than ever I need to make sure that she and my child are taken care of if something happens to me."

Tsunade was taken aback by Naruto's comment. She took the time to soak in his words and soon she realized what this was all about. At first she thought he was being selfish and thinking with his hormones but now things were much clearer.

"This is all about your inheritance isn't it?"

"Yes, I told Sakura-chan about everything, even her mother knows. Both of them agreed that it would be the best thing to do, what with all this uncertainty looming over us," said Naruto.

"Are you sure you want to go about things this way? I mean is rushing into a marriage really necessary Naruto?"

"Look I know that us getting married isn't going to stop what's going on. It isn't going to stop Sasuke's plan either. I need to grow up and realize that I have a responsibility as a shinobi. I need to do everything in my power to keep our village safe. Ideally it would be great to stay in the village, but I'd be wasting my power just staying here. Yes the village would have my protection, but I'll be of better use looking for Sasuke. I have to eliminate him, I know that now. At least marriage will protect my family if anything happens to me."

Tsunade sighed and signaled for Naruto to follow her. She didn't say much as she and Naruto made the journey in silence. They entered her office and found Shizune, Naruto's team, and Sakura waiting nervously. Sakura ran towards Naruto and embraced him roughly.

"Are you alright? What happened down there, did she say anything useful?" Asked Sakura.

"Yeah we got some good information, but she's being taken to interrogation for further analysis."

Sakura couldn't speak she just sighed with relief as she buried her face into Naruto's shoulder. Shizune approached Tsunade, she began to speak rapidly but Tsunade silenced her abruptly. Shizune froze and watch as Tsunade walked to her desk and wrote something down on some parchment. She handed the parchment to Shizune.

"I need you to retrieve this specific document and bring it back to me immediately."

Shizune read what was written on the small piece of paper; her eyes widen.

"Are you serious Tsunade-sama, this doesn't seem like something you should be doing at a time like this."

"Please Shizune just do as I say and hurry!" Snapped Tsunade.

"Yes ma'am," squeaked Shizune as she quickly left the room.

Sakura let go of Naruto and watched Shizune leave. She looked at her master and then back at her boyfriend. Neither of them acknowledged her stare; she decided it wasn't anything to worry about. However she couldn't help but feel a little unsettled about Shizune's quick departure.

_What in the world was all that about?_ Thought Sakura.

"Naruto I expect a full report on your findings in Koka is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am," replied Naruto.

"Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, I'm sure I'll read nothing but good things in Naruto report. This was your first mission without Ebisu, and I'm very confident that you all did well. However we have much on our plates right now so I want you all to return home and keep your guard up," Said Tsunade.

The three young shinobi nodded their heads and reluctantly made their way out of the office. Naruto smirked at them as they left. Konohamaru was the only one that saw; he knew it was Naruto's way of reassuring them that things would be alright. Konohamaru smiled back as he left with his teammates. Once they left Tsunade turned her attention towards Naruto and Sakura. Now Sakura knew something was up, the silenced that engulfed them was so eerie. She pulled herself away from Naruto and looked up at his face. He was clearly deep in thought, she wasn't sure what he was thinking about, and it was killing her.

"What's going on that you two aren't telling me," said Sakura.

"Well Naruto I suggest to tell her now, I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes," said Tsunade.

"Tell me what?" Asked Sakura.

Tsunade said nothing to her student. All she did was leave her office without saying a word. Sakura couldn't take it anymore today was so confusing. Instead of getting answers all Sakura was getting was more questions.

"Naruto this is enough what in the world is going on!" Huffed Sakura in frustration.

"Now don't get mad Sakura-chan but I've made an executive decision about our relationship without your consent."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Yelled Sakura as she prepared herself to clobber her boyfriend.

"I asked Baa-chan to marry us right here and right now," blurred out Naruto as he prepared himself for a punch.

Sakura lowered her fist; she couldn't believe what she had just heard. Naruto opened one eye and saw that his girlfriend was speechless, that and motionless.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

"We're getting married, right now?"

"Yeah we are, sorry I wasn't really thinking of atmosphere or romance factor when I decided. I've come to terms that I can't protect you all the time. Especially now, I'm going to be needed everywhere. At least this way I feel a little better when I leave you and the baby alone."

"I can't believe it, this is happening all so fast."

"Are you having second thoughts, do you not want to marry me?"

"No it isn't that Naruto of course I want to marry you, it's just that I pictured my wedding day, well different."

"I understand, but I promise you that once everything is over we'll have a big wedding. Anything you want on that day you'll get Sakura-chan," said Naruto as he placed his hands on Sakura's shoulders.

Sakura smiled at Naruto as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She thought it was so sweet how Naruto was willing to give her whatever she wanted in the future. Part of her wanted to just imagine what their big day would be like, then reality sunk in. She could see that Naruto was doing this just in case the worst happened; that being him dying. She knew he always wanted to marry her and she felt the same way about him. However the baby and her being in danger had changed everything, and now the one day she thought would be would be perfect was far from it. A soft knock was heard and slowly the door opened. Tsunade peered in and when she saw the two young shinobi's embracing each other she walked inside. Shizune was not far behind and she followed the Hokage silently.

"Have you both reached an answer?"

"Yes we have, we're going through with it Baa-chan."

"I want to remind you two that I'm only doing this if marriage is what you both want."

"It is we're sure Shisho."

"Alright then come here so that you sign the marriage license. Now normally I would need your mother's signature Sakura since your underage, but as Hokage I can just skip that part. Besides from what Naruto has told me your mother seems to be on the same page as you two."

"Yes she understands, and she agrees with this marriage as well."

"Good usually the council would be notified about this and there are certain steps we need to do to get this finalized, but there's no time. I'm skipping all the red tape, quite honestly the council will be too busy to notice. I'm going to be signing on your behalf Naruto. I'll be taking the guardian role here since your underage as well."

"Thanks Baa-chan, for everything I mean."

"It's no problem. I don't want either of you to think that I'm against you two marrying each other. I just want what's best for you both, that's all."

"We understand Shisho."

"Good now each of you sign on the bottom near the X's."

Naruto signed first; once he was done he gave Sakura the pen. She signed her name right next to his. She then gave the document back to Tsunade who looked everything over and signed her name as well. After a few silent moments she gave Naruto the document once more.

"There's the marriage license, you two are now legally married, congratulations," said Tsunade. "Now please excuse my haste but there's much that needs to be done and it isn't your wedding reception. Naruto I need you to take the bandits you captured to the interrogation building immediately. Then I need the both of you at the clan meeting."

"Why would you want me their too Shisho, I mean I don't have a clan."

"Yes you do Sakura, the Uzumaki clan now has more than one member."

* * *

><p>Wow everything is happening so fast! A good amount of Sasuke's shenanigans are now out in the open dun dun dunnn. I know I wanted to do the time skip next chapter but that's not going to happen. I didn't want to do the skip on a cliff hanger. So everything for the most part will be settled next chapter, then we jump six months. Now for those of you who didn't like the sudden marriage of Naruto and Sakura, don't worry they'll get the lovely wedding later in the story so don't fret. I want to thank everyone that has still be faving my story or putting it on their alerts. Good to see that even though I haven't updated ppl still like the story. Like I said before I'm going to try and update more often. I think once a month is good, anything is compared to how long you all have been waiting XD Anyhow thanks again I hope you enjoyed this chapter.<p>

Kat


	20. Chapter 20: All we can do is wait

*I DON'T OWN NARUTO"

* * *

><p>Naruto and Sakura briskly walked out of the interrogation headquarters. Just as Tsunade had ordered Naruto had dropped off the bandits he had in his custody. The village around them was in a state of controlled panic. Most of the civilians were showing clear signs of concern and fear as they were rushed from their businesses in the market. Everyone that wasn't a shinobi had been accounted for, and for their safety they were sent home. Konoha was basically shut down, even the gates to the village had been closed. A good amount of shinobi were high up on the roof tops of neighboring buildings. Each one of them kept a watchful eye on the villagers down below. Neither Naruto nor Sakura had said much to each other since they had left Hokage tower. Sakura was beyond confused, what with the whirlwind of emotions she was experiencing. She quickly glanced at Naruto as they both walked in silence. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Sakura decided to break the silence, it was driving her mad.<p>

"Do you think we can talk before we go to the meeting?" Asked Sakura.

"Sure what do you want to talk about?"

"Well I want to be better informed before I walk into this clan meeting. I have no idea what the hell is going on Naruto, I have to be able to be on the same page as everyone else. Besides I've never even been to a clan meeting before. My first appearance is going to raise some eyebrows, don't you think?"

"I guess, I really didn't think that far into things, but it's alright Sakura-chan I'll be right by your side."

"I know Naruto I'm just so nervous, not only am I pregnant but we're married now. I don't think the other clans are going to understand."

"That doesn't matter Sakura-chan, besides I can guarantee you that our personal lives aren't going to be what they're focusing on."

"Do you think everyone knows we're expecting?"

"I wouldn't doubt it, but who cares Sakura-chan, don't worry so much."

"I suppose you're right," whispered Sakura. "So then where should we talk?"

"Well that depends, do you need to get anything else from your apartment, or do you have enough stuff at my place."

"I should have enough at your place."

"Alright my place it is," said Naruto.

* * *

><p>Sakura sat on Naruto's bed as he informed her about everything he knew. She listened intently as she nibbled on some onigiri she had made the night before. She couldn't believe some of the things Naruto was telling her. It always broke her heart to hear how far Sasuke had fallen into darkness. She didn't show her disappointment though. The last thing she wanted to do was crumble in front of Naruto; for once she wanted to be strong for him. She finished her snack and cleared her throat.<p>

"Do you think what Fuyu said is true Naruto?"

"What about Sasuke saving her?"

"No I'm talking about what she said about there being no cure," whispered Sakura.

"Honestly Sakura-chan I don't know. You know I have no medical background so I don't know the specifics on Baa-chan's work with the virus."

"It's just scary to think that's there's something Shisho can't cure. I really wish I had worked with her and Shizune, at least this way I'd have more of an idea on the structure of the virus."

"Don't beat yourself up Sakura-chan. I'm sure Baa-chan will find a way for you to help without you getting exposed to the virus. Maybe the subject will come up at the clan meeting, which will be starting soon," said Naruto as he got up and walked to the front door.

He opened the door and signaled for Sakura to leave first. She smiled and stood up; she walked outside and noticed that the bright sunny day was starting to get cloudy. Naruto closed the door behind him; he looked at the changing weather alongside Sakura.

"Looks like the weather in Koka followed me," muttered Naruto.

Sakura giggled and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"I don't care what kind of weather followed you, I'm just glad you're home."

* * *

><p>The building next to Hokage tower was buzzing with activity. It was a large structure that held all town meeting's that needed a larger audience. It was used greatly during the 4th shinobi war; since then it had been sealed up. However its doors were once again opened now that it was needed again. Several clan leaders and members were hustling inside and taking their seats. Naruto lead Sakura into the large building, he was familiar with it since all the shinobi alliance meetings were held here. The room where the actual meeting was taking place was vast. A large desk with many seats behind it ran across the walls of the room. The only area that wasn't cover was the front entrance, other than that the whole room was one large table. At the middle of this table was an elevated desk, this is where Tsunade and the elders from the council sat.<p>

As Naruto looked around he noticed that the seating arrangements were the same as alliance meetings so he headed for his seat next to the Nara clan. Sure enough his seat was there along with an extra seat for Sakura. Both he and Sakura sat down and watched as other people arrived and took their seats. Sakura wasn't very familiar with all the small details that went into a clan meeting, but she was aware of the basics. For example she was aware that all the leaders of the most powerful clans in the village were present. Along with them came their spouses and a handful of their clan's strongest members. Out of Naruto and Sakura's friends Shikamaru and Neji were the only members of the Konoha 11 that were present at these meetings.

Sakura looked around for some familiar faces, Tsunade wasn't anywhere in sight but the council elders Koharu and Homura were already seated. It was apparent from their looks that they were waiting impatiently for the 5th Hokage. Before Sakura knew it everyone was seated; their voices of concern filled the room. She heard Sasuke's name over and over again. It was so alarming to see that he really was a threat to Konoha. Suddenly everyone fell silent; Tsunade made her way to her seat and sat down.

"First off I'd like to thank everyone for gathering so quickly, and with such short notice, now then onto business. The village is in a state of emergency and until further notice the village gates will be closed. It will only be temporary though, I don't intend on showing weakness by permanently closing our borders and gates. However there will be a village curfew until further notice. Every civilian must be home by 8pm. You must all make sure to take care of any business you may have in the market place before then. Now then onto the real reason why we are gathered here today. We must plan out our strategy to deal with Uchiha Sasuke, here's what we know so far. Sasuke is attacking us as we speak, but not physically. He's choosing to attack us through biological warfare. About a month ago we started to see a rise in shinobi coming down with something like the flu. The symptoms were the same, however it wasn't flu season. Also the individual's weren't sick as long as they would be if it was the common flu."

"Are you entirely sure that the key to Sasuke's plan goes as far as biological warfare Tsunade-sama? This plan is something Orochimaru would do, not Sasuke," said an Inuzuka member.

"I completely agree but to make sure I sent Hatake Kakashi, and Mitarashi Anko to check out Orochimaru's old hideouts for any clues. Orochimaru may be dead but remember part of him is still alive in Kabuto. We mustn't forget that Kabuto is still very much alive, and probably at Sasuke's side," said Tsunade.

"I'm certain they are working together especially after the capture of the Kumogakure team that had that infected corpse in their possession. The virus strain that was inside the body was much more aggressive than the one we were studying. Viruses don't mutate that fast on their own, it was obviously being manipulated by human hands."

"So you're saying that Sasuke had this virus made, but for what purpose? It sounds rather preposterous to have a head cold be his weapon," chuckled Choza.

"I know it sounds farfetched but upon further examination we learned that only certain individuals were being targeted with the virus. So far the victims are medics and high ranking shinobi, the fact that it's medics and strongest being infected is something we can't ignore. I currently have Nara Shikamaru evaluating the medical charts of the infected. Having his intellect should help find a pattern on the sick," said Tsunade.

"That reminds me Tsunade-sama, I have a request. If things are getting so urgent with solving what these individuals have in common I'm going to need help.

Preferably a medic shinobi, that would give me a medical opinion," said Shikamaru.

"Done I'll appoint Uzumaki Sakura to help you out."

Sakura's ears perked up, she looked over at Shikamaru and smiled weakling. Shikamaru smirked at her and turned his attention back to Tsunade.

"Wait I thought you solved the problem with the virus Tsunade. Weren't there antidotes given to the public and sick?" Asked Homura.

"Yes I did come up with a cure, but the attack today rattled my confidence. The intruder responsible for the attack told me that there is no cure. Apparently there's a certain amount of months needed for proper incubation. That would mean that despite me stopping the symptoms the virus is still active inside its victims. I'm going to go back and do further testing on the infected, none of them will be allowed to leave the village. They are no longer showing any signs of being ill, nor are they contagious, but I want to keep an eye on them."

"Other villages are being afflicted as well right Tsunade-sama?" Asked Sakura.

"Yes we aren't the only ones."

"So I'm sure we'll be getting support from the other village's kages right?" Added a Hyuga member.

"Yes, I've already sent hawks to the other shinobi villages with all the details we know so far about Sasuke's plan. I'm sure in the weeks that follow the other Kages and I will meet to further discuss tactics."

"Our main focus right now is to capture Uchiha Sasuke," said Homura.

"Yes it most certainly is, which is why I would like to add that Uchiha Sasuke will not be given any empathy like he has in our past attempts to capture him. Konoha has been looked upon as weak when it comes to capturing him. I hope we can focus on how much a threat he is to all of us and bring him to justice," said Koharu as she eyed Naruto.

"Yes well we're all aware of that Koharu, you don't need to repeat the obvious," warned Tsunade.

The old women didn't falter even after Tsunade's sharp remark. Instead Koharu continued to rudely look at Naruto. Sakura felt a small twinge of anger flare up inside her. What was Koharu trying to imply exactly? No one knew what Naruto and Sasuke had been through. Not even she couldn't fully understand the complex relationship those two had. Sakura huffed in frustration; Naruto on the other hand looked cool and collected. The cold stare he was currently receiving hadn't even fazed him, or at least he wasn't showing his feelings about it.

"So then it's apparent that Uchiha Sasuke must be stop, but how do you plan on doing this. No one knows where he is, and for the past year we've failed on getting any real information on him," said Hiashi.

"Since Sasuke never participated in the 4th shinobi war his life under the radar has been easier to maintain. Now he'll be on everyone's sights so his luck will run out. I purpose we create a specialized team whose sole purpose is apprehending Sasuke. It would make sense to have them head towards Kumogakure. So far all the information that's come our way points towards it," said Shikaku.

"I agree, we have two reliable sources that have information on Sasuke's whereabouts. Both parties are currently being interrogated. Once their interrogation is complete we'll have more information that can better help us direct our teams," added Inoichi.

"Well if this is going to be about tracking then you need a member from our clan," might I suggest my son Kiba," said Tsume.

"I say we also add someone from the Hyuga clan, their Byakugan could really be an asset," said Inoichi

"If that's the case take my nephew Neji," said Hiashi.

"Good candidates so far, I would also like to have an ANBU on the team. So I think Sai would be a perfect fit," added Tsunade.

"Excellent Tsunade and who's going to be the team captain?" Asked Koharu.

"I want Naruto to be in charge of the team," answered Tsunade.

The room suddenly went quite, not everyone was in agreement when it came to the Hokage's choice.

"Tsunade do you honestly think it's wise that Naruto be on this team! His connection to Sasuke is too personal. He will never take capturing him seriously, and thus he's a liability to the team's mission!" Snapped Koharu.

"A liability is he, well then Koharu who do you expect to defeat Sasuke? Naruto is the only person in our village who stands a chance against him. Sending this team without Naruto is a death sentence!"

"Tsunade please settle down. We understand that Naruto is strong but I must admit I agree with Koharu. Sasuke being Naruto's friend leaves Naruto area to fail. Besides I think he's better off protecting the village. Haruno Sakura carrying his child could be a target for Sasuke. If he catches wind of her pregnancy the village is vulnerable," said Homura.

Sakura felt the entire room focus in on her and Naruto. Well at least this answered her question about the entire village knowing her and Naruto's new edition in the making. Sakura could feel her face heat up in embarrassment. She wished so badly that she was invisible; instead she was now a problem that needed fixing.

"I can't stand how you're all talk about me and Sakura-chan like we aren't here!" Snapped Naruto.

He slammed both his hands on the desk and was now standing for everyone to see. He looked the room over in disgust.

"Fine I've messed up with Sasuke in the past, but I'm the only person who knows him best! Despite what you all think I have every reason to not let him go or show him any mercy. Sakura-chan being pregnant isn't a liability, on the contrary she's what's going to ensure that I succeed. There's no way in hell I'm letting Sasuke touch her let alone Konoha."

"Naruto," whispered Sakura.

"Baa-chan is right anyone besides me who encounters Sasuke is dead. I'm you're only hope of capturing him and you all know it. Me staying here isn't going to help us capture Sasuke. You all need to realize that you need to utilize my power in the right way. Stop trying to play things safe, Sasuke's pulled out all the stops, why shouldn't we?!" Snapped Naruto.

The room was buzzing with rapid discussion. Some shinobi shook their heads in agreement while others shook their heads sternly in disagreement. Sakura couldn't believe how Naruto had handle things so well. This was a side of him that she had never really seen before. The way he was acting was so foreign to her; it's as if her Naruto was gone. He was so serious, and he had an overwhelming sense of control over the room. She never thought that the boy that was the village nuisance would be lecturing the clan leaders of the village. Suddenly Sakura saw movement towards her left. She turned her attention towards it and saw Shikamaru's father slowly rising from his seat.

"Naruto's absolutely right, we must take a risk and let him lead the team in charge of finding Sasuke. We'll only be wasting time if we force Naruto to stay here in Konoha. Haven't we learned anything from the 4th shinobi war? All we were concerned with was keeping Naruto out of sight and safe, that foolish decision almost lost us the war," said Shikaku.

Hushed whispered filled the room, everyone was debating feverishly. Sakura looked up at Naruto who was still standing.

"Then it's settled I'm making it official. Naruto, Neji, Kiba, and Sai will leave Konoha once the interrogations are complete," said Tsunade.

"Tsunade you can't be serious!" Yelled Koharu.

"Enough Koharu! "My mind is made up, this subject is no longer up for discussion!" Snapped Tsunade.

She took in a deep breath and continued to talk about other situations that needed to be attended too. They ranged from how many weapons they had in storage to which shinobi's were out of commission due to being sick. Naruto blocked it all out as he let out a sigh of relief. He sat back down next to Sakura and relaxed. He turned his face towards hers and gave her his classic goofy grin as a sigh of his victory. Sakura was little taken aback, she quickly recovered though and couldn't help but giggle. It was clear to her now that no matter how much he'd changed he'd always be her Naruto.

* * *

><p>Once more Sakura found herself alone in Naruto's apartment. She had been dropped off to rest while Naruto went to Hokage tower with Tsunade. Sakura decided she should get use to the idea of being home alone from now on. Naruto would be extremely busy and his place was now her home. Sakura decided to unpack some of her belongings. She would have an opportunity to get the rest of her belongings in the days to come. She had managed to stop at her mother's to let her know she was alright. During their rushed visit Sakura and her mother arranged to move the rest of her belongings little by little to Naruto's in the next few days.<p>

Thunder rolled in the not too far distance. Sakura walked to the window in Naruto's bedroom; small sprinkles of water started to collect on the window pane. Sakura peered outside; down below the village was desolate even though it was the early afternoon. The rain went from a sprinkle to much heavier frequent drops in matter of seconds. Suddenly Sakura's felt a little light headed and soon a wave of nausea followed. She felt as if the room was spinning. She grabbed onto Naruto's bed to steady herself, after a few moments she regained her balance.

"I've been doing so much, maybe I pushed myself a little too far today."

Sakura made her way to the kitchen and decided to make some warm tea to help settle her stomach. Once she got the kettle on the stove she walked to the couch in the living room and made herself comfortable. She could hear the rain drops hitting the roof of the apartment; it was really coming down now. The rhythmic sound of the rain began to relax Sakura, so much so that she began to fall asleep.

The soft whistle of the tea kettle abruptly woke Sakura from her quick little nap. She hadn't even noticed that she was falling asleep until just now. Before she could get up to serve herself some tea Naruto barged into his apartment. Sakura quickly looked in his direction; he was soaking wet and in a bad mood. He quickly slammed the door behind him and stormed inside. Sakura watched silently as Naruto began to remove his wet clothing.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

"We aren't heading to Kumogakure, instead we're all stuck here until further notice!" Snapped Naruto.

Sakura winced at his tone; Naruto was clearly upset. She was a little apprehensive to question him further but she had to know. She gathered her courage as she prepared herself to continue questioning her irate husband.

"How can that be, I thought Tsunade-sama said you were leaving once the prisoners were fully interrogated."

"Well that was the plan until that big busted lady from Kumogakure showed up with some other shinobi at Baa-chan's office."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Oh god what's her name, Samui that's it," said Naruto as he pulled off his soaked jacket.

"Samui, the blonde women that came here once with Killer B's student's right?"

"Yeah that's the one, she arrived at Hokage tower with her team right after Baa-chan and I got there. She came with a message from the Raikage. Apparently he's closed the borders to Kumogakure to ensure Sasuke doesn't escape. Their borders closed means we're automatically denied access to search. For all we know Sasuke might not even be there anymore!" Yelled Naruto.

"Oh no, what did Tsunade-sama say then?"

"She said it would be a waste of time and resources to go into an area that might be a dead end. Besides if the Raikage says we can't go, we can't go. If we did we'd be trespassing and Baa-chan doesn't want to have to deal with all the red tape that's involved with that. So we're to stay here until further notice. We can't even have border patrol because the ANBU are in charge of that. Nothing is going to happen until we get the results from the interrogation, and get word from the other villages. Those two conditions must be met before we can make our move," said Naruto as he removed his shirt.

"So Tsunade-sama wants to see if the other villages can provide more intelligence on Sasuke-kun's whereabouts?"

"Basically, so our team's purpose is on hold until further notice."

"Did Samui say anything else?"

"I don't know, and honestly I don't care."

"Well maybe you'll get much more to go on once the interrogations are done Naruto. I'm sure what we learn from them will be far more than expected. If that's the case maybe your team can head out without having to wait for the other village's responses," said Sakura.

"I guess," muttered Naruto. "I need to think, I'm taking a shower."

He turned around and made his way to his restroom. Sakura was at a loss for words, she couldn't stand seeing Naruto like this. The unattended tea kettle was still humming loudly in the kitchen; Sakura quickly got up and removed it from the open flame. It was then that she heard the shower turn on in the restroom. She knew there was nothing she could say to Naruto that would make him feel any better. He didn't like feeling useless, especially when there was work to be done. All she could do was be there to listen to him and try giving him advice. Sakura poured herself a cup of tea and walked back to the couch. She sipped the warm liquid slowly; its warmth calmed her nerves as it traveled down her throat. Sakura sat alone in the living room for quite some time. Being alone didn't really bother her; this was a good opportunity for her to think about everything that had happened so far today. Her empty cup is what finally pulled her away from her thoughts. She got up from the couch and made her way back to the kitchen for a refill. Naruto walked into the living as Sakura poured herself another cup of hot tea.

"Can you pour me a cup too?" Asked Naruto as he sat on the couch.

"Sure," answered Sakura.

She reached into the cabinet next to her for an extra cup. She quickly filled it and made her way to the living room. Sakura found Naruto drying his hair with a towel. He was dressed in his normal civilian clothes which was composed of his orange pants and black shirt. She handed him his cup once his hands were free. He rested the towel over his shoulders and took the cup of tea. Sakura sat herself next Naruto and rested her back against him. Naruto took a sip of tea and sighed deeply.

"Look I'm sorry if I scared you when I got home."

"You didn't scare me Naruto, but I was concerned."

"Yeah well I have so much on my mind right now, I just wanted to hurry up and start looking for Sasuke."

"I understand Naruto you don't need to explain things to me."

"Still I shouldn't have blown up like that, I'm sorry."

"It's alright Naruto really," yawned Sakura.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"For the most part yes, I'm just really tried. That and earlier I think I almost fainted in the bedroom."

"What!?" Are you serious, is everything ok, should I take you to the hospital? Yelped Naruto.

"No I'm alright Naruto it's perfectly normal. My body's just going through so much because of the pregnancy right now. Having a baby grow inside me is really draining all my energy. Some of the side effects are constantly being tired and having dizzy spells."

"Well that's a relief, I mean it sucks that you're going through that but I'm glad it's normal."

"I love it when you get concerned it's so cute," cooed Sakura as she rubbed her back against Naruto.

"Ummm thanks?" Replied Naruto.

Sakura giggled, for a few moments everything seemed to be back to normal. She really wished it was true. Being able to relax with Naruto was amazing; she never thought she could possibly lose him. She shook those negative thoughts from her mind; instead she decided not to dwell on the unknown. All Sakura knew was that she was going to indulge and enjoyed what time left she had with Naruto.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was very uneventful, at least information wise. Naruto had spent the rest of the earlier afternoon with Sakura at home. He couldn't relax all day so he decided to be productive with his unexpected time off. Instead of doing nothing Naruto helped Sakura and her mother move the rest of Sakura belongings to his apartment. Then he rearranged furniture in his apartment to make room for Sakura's things. It was well past 6pm by the time Naruto had rearranged things in every way possible, courtesy of Sakura's inability to make up her mind.<p>

"Phew, I'm glad I was finally able to persuade you to leave the living room looking this way," said Naruto.

"Well I just wanted it to look nice since I added my coffee and end table," said Sakura innocently.

"Yeah but having me rearrange them in a million ways was not necessary."

"Oh you're over exaggerating, I did not have you rearrange the furniture that much," huffed Sakura.

"Alright alright maybe I am stretching the truth, but not by that much," chuckled Naruto.

Sakura threw a pillow from the couch at Naruto. The soft projectile hit its mark as it slammed into his face. Sakura smirked at Naruto's muffled cries; she ignored his complaining and returned to work decorating the living room. Naruto stopped wining once he saw Sakura was done participating in their little disagreement. He was about to help Sakura out when his stomach growled loudly. Sakura looked over at him.

"Look I was only playing by throwing that pillow at you, so there's no need to be growling at me," said Sakura.

"I wasn't growling at you, that was my stomach."

"Oh wow you must be really hungry."

"Yeah well all I had was a quick breakfast early this morning while I was still in Koka."

"Well what do you want me to cook for dinner?"

"Ah Sakura-chan you should relax, I'll just get take out."

"Are you sure, it's no trouble Naruto I feel fine."

"No Sakura-chan I insist I don't mind going out, besides I better leave now before the city curfew starts."

"Alright than Naruto, you can choose what we eat tonight. I'm really in the mood for anything," said Sakura.

"Even ramen?" Gasped Naruto in excitement.

"Well almost anything," added Sakura.

"Awe Sakura-chan why'd you have to go and get my hopes up like that."

"I'm sorry I just couldn't help myself. Look you can get ramen if you want, I was only teasing," giggled Sakura.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh with her. He walked over to Sakura and kissed her softly on the lips. She returned the kiss and softly moaned as she wrapped her delicate arms around Naruto's neck.

"I'll be back soon alright," said Naruto as he put his jacket on.

"Alright, I'll be here waiting, I love you."

"I love you too."

With that said Naruto made his way out of his apartment and into the cool evening awaiting him outside.

The village streets were filled with people, but not nearly as many as there usually was for this time of day. Naruto could tell that everyone was trying their best to act normal, but it was apparent things were far from alright. Most of the shops were still open, but there were a few that were already closed for the night. Naruto looked around as he tried to decide what to get for dinner. He spotted a small okonomiyaki cart not far from him. As he made his way there he noticed a familiar person approach the cart as well, it was Shikamaru.

"Hey Shikamaru wait up," said Naruto.

Shikamaru turned around and smirked as Naruto made his way towards him. He waited patiently for his best friend to catch up to him.

"Well now I wasn't expecting to see you out and about."

"Uh, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Well I honestly thought you'd be at home sulking since your team is stranded here."

"Ha ha very funny Shikamaru."

"No but seriously jokes aside how are you functioning right now, I know staying put is your Achilles heel."

"Believe me I was pissed earlier, but talking things over with Sakura-chan made me feel better."

"So she's doing alright then, with everything I mean baby and all."

"Yeah for the most part, she's just a little tired that's all."

"Ah well that's expected, but how's she doing with all this news regarding Sasuke?"

"I can tell it hurts her, but she's doing her best to not show me her true feelings. I think sometimes it makes her feel bad if she cries about Sasuke in front of me. It's as if she worries I'll get upset that she still has feelings for him."

"Well that's a typical woman for you Naruto. They make everything complicated for themselves just to make others happy."

"Yeah you got that right," said Naruto as he stopped in front of the okonomiyaki cart.

Two young women were standing side by side behind the cart. They waited patiently as Naruto and Shikamaru looked at the menu. A large teppan was steaming, it was piping hot and ready for a new order to be placed. Both shinobi's made their choices and began to place their orders.

"Yeah I'll have two number 2's and a number 3 please," said Shikamaru.

"I'll have two number 3's please," said Naruto.

The women nodded and began to gather the required ingredients for each order. They placed them in a large bowl and pour a cream colored batter over the array of goodies. They mixed the concoction thoroughly until it was well incorporated. Once that was done they poured the batter onto the scalding hot teppan and began molding the savory pancake with their metal spatulas.

"So I see you ordered for three, who you with?"

"I wanted to make sure Kurenai was alright so I had Ino check on her for me. I just left Hokage tower and was on my way to join them. I decided to pick something up for us to eat."

"Nice, so how's her kid doing?"

"Oh Mirai, heh well she isn't so little anymore. she'll be turning 1 in a few months."

"Wow really, man that was fast."

"Yeah tell me about it. Oh and by the way congrats on the marriage."

"Oh yeah, I'm a married man now."

"You gotta do what you gotta do," said Shikamaru lazily.

"You got that right, so you why were you at Hokage tower for so late?"

"I was actually staying late because Tsunade-sama had me get some notes and documents together for Sakura."

"Does this have to do with Sakura helping you out with the medical charts of the infected?"

"Yup it sure does," said Shikamaru as he pulled a scroll from his knapsack.

"So this is just an overview of everything Baa-chan has gathered right?" Asked Naruto as he took the scroll from Shikamaru

"Actually it's a little more then that."

"What do you mean?"

"It's true that there's information in there that Tsunade-sama and her team have gathered, but they're actually notes in there that have to do with the construction of the virus."

"Well what's the difference?"

"God you can be so dense sometimes," muttered Shikamaru. "What it means is that we have notes by Kabuto himself in there."

"What? Where the hell did you get this from?"

"From Samui, she handed the scroll to Tsunade-sama right after you stormed off from her office."

"Samui, and where the hell did she get them from!"

"From Sasuke's hideout, her team is the one responsible for locating it. It's abandoned now of course but they conveniently found this there. Tsunade handed the scroll to me and had me collected what information she and her medic team had gathered."

"What the hell Shikamaru why didn't go after me! I would have liked to have been there when Samui was sharing this with you guys."

"Well I tired too but Tsunade wouldn't let me. She said it would be better to let you cool off."

"Damn it, that's just fantastic," huffed Naruto in frustration.

"Anyway hopefully these notes will shed new light on everything. Sakura can help me out and later on we can compare the results."

"Do you think what's in here is true though?"

"Honestly, yes I do. Sasuke is beyond confidant his plan will work. So to make things more interesting for himself he's purposefully leaving us clues. He's basically playing cat and mouse with us, and we're unfortunately the mouse that needs to escape the cat's claws."

"It never ceases to amaze me how twisted he can be."

"Yeah well let him, his cockiness is going to be his down fall," said Shikamaru as he paid for his order.

Naruto put the scroll in his pocket and collected the bag containing his order. He paid and tipped the women and walked off with Shikamaru.

"So do you have an update regarding the interrogations?"

"Well yes and no. Those bandits you caught all reviled the same information they share with you. Fuyu however has tons to say, and she isn't lying either.

"When I left Hokage tower I heard they had found certain areas of her mind that had over the top seals on them. Whoever put them there really wanted her to keep what's inside there a secret."

"Not bad, it seems things are going better than I thought."

"Yeah hopefully Ino's dad can release the seal that's in Fuyu's mind."

For a few moments they were both quite, they continued walking silently through the village. The friends continued to talk until they had to part ways.

"Well here's where we part ways Naruto. Don't forget to give that scroll to Sakura. I'll be stopping by later on tomorrow to go over her findings."

"I'll make sure she gets it. Say hi to Kurenai sensei and Ino for me too," said Naruto as he waved goodbye.

* * *

><p>Sakura ate her okonomiyaki silently as she read over the scroll and notes Naruto had brought home. She was sitting on the floor while most of her notes and meal were on the coffee table in front of her. The rest of her notes and documents were all over the floor. Only Sakura knew the order of her madness that took over the living room. Naruto was also on the floor but on the opposite side of the table. Sakura had convinced him to write his report from his last mission. He was dreading it, but she was right. Naruto sighed as he looked at the ceiling; he nibbled on the pencil in his mouth.<p>

"Naruto stop daydreaming you're only wasting time," scolded Sakura.

"But this is so boring, I can't stand writing reports."

"Isn't this your first report though?"

The pencil in Naruto's mouth fell to the ground; he fumbled to catch it but failed. Sakura giggled at his clumsiness, she knew it was due to her getting an upper hand on his comment.

"Well I guess it is my first official report, but what I meant to say is that I hate writing in general."

"You're such a goof Naruto. How in the world do you expect to handle all the paperwork that comes with being Hokage?"

"Baa-chan never does paperwork and she's a great Hokage," added Naruto confidently.

Sakura peered over her notes and raised one of her eyes brows at Naruto answer.

"The point of being someone's successor is to be better than they were Naruto. So that means that unlike Shisho you will most certainly be doing your

paperwork," said Sakura sternly. "So stop day dreaming and get to work."

"Alright I'm going."

For the next hour the two love birds said nothing. Naruto had finally gotten into his stride and was working diligently. Sakura was getting more enthralled with

Kabuto and Tsunade's notes.

"This is really interesting," whispered Sakura. "I've never seen anything like this before. Naruto can you please hand me the medical book on viruses. It's the blue book in a box labeled text books in the bedroom."

"Sure thing Sakura-chan," replied Naruto as he scribbled something down on his report.

He walked to his bedroom and after a few minutes he returned with Sakura's desired book. He handed her the book; Sakura wasted no time flipping pages. She found what she was looking for and began skimming the text for a certain passage.

"Did you find something interesting?" Asked Naruto as he looked over Sakura's shoulder.

"I think I might have," replied Sakura. "I have three microscopic photos of the virus. The first is the one from Kabuto's notes, the second is the strain that we dealt with here in the village. The last one is the virus strain that was removed from the corpse. Each photo is drastically different. This further proves that it was being engineered by people. However the first photo doesn't look like a virus at all, the protein shell around the virus particle doesn't look like protein at all."

"Well what does it look like?"

"I know this might sound crazy, but it looks like a protective shell of chakra, not protein. Which is impossible, I've never heard of such a thing existing."

"So each time they altered the virus strain it began looking more and more like a real one?"

Sakura took in a deep breath and turned around quickly to look at Naruto, it all made sense now.

"You're right, you're absolutely right Naruto, that's why there is no cure. Kabuto tricked us into thinking we were dealing with a new flu strain by altering its structure each chance he had. However what we're really dealing with is some sort of jutsu that's been infused with a virus strain. Thus the chakra shell around the virus particle, you can't cure a jutsu. The only way it can be stopped is to be released by the person behind its creation."

"So what happens when that jutsu is released?"

"Then the virus nucleus that the chakra is protecting will attack the host's body. Since this virus doesn't exist in nature there's no way of telling what it's capable of. One thing's for sure though it isn't going to be something as simple as the flu."

"So why was everyone getting sick then?"

"I guess it was a decoy to make Tsunade think that it was just a new version of the flu. The cure she made did cure the symptoms but the actual virus is still intact and dormant inside its hosts."

"I remember Fuyu said something about an incubation time. Maybe Sasuke needs more time before he can release the jutsu."

"Maybe but we have no idea how many days, weeks, or months we have. Plus the list of the infected is pretty long. This means that once Sasuke-kun is ready we automatically lose all these shinobi. Our defenses will be cut in half. This will be the case in all the other shinobi villages as well."

"Who would we lose?"

"Let's see, we'd be without Ebisu, Shizune, Yamoto, Guy, Kushushi, Iyashi, and Kito, and that's just the first page. The last three are high rank medics, losing them would hit us hard."

"So he's planning on crippling us slowly, and when the time is right he releases the jutsu and strikes."

"This is horrible, I'm just glad that no one else has gotten sick, you being included."

"Well I wouldn't worry about that, I've never been sick before in my life."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah the Kyuubi ensures that my immune system is more complex and powerful than your average humans."

"Well thank god for that," sighed Sakura. "Tsunade-sama's chakra reserves on her forehead kinda work the same way, which would explain why she didn't get sick."

"It's a good thing too Sakura-chan. Sasuke's going be surprised to see that our Hokage won't be out for the count."

"You're right Naruto losing our Hokage would be devastating if we were attacked. We need to hurry and head to Hokage tower. Tsunade-sama needs to hear this so we can a solution before it's too late."

* * *

><p>Tsunade was dumbfounded, everything Sakura had told her made sense, but she still couldn't believe it. For the past few hours Tsunade, Sakura, and Naruto were deliberating a possible plan to help foil Sasuke's motives; Both Naruto and Sakura had pulled up chairs towards Tsunade's desk. Tsunade hadn't notified the clan leaders let alone the council. She wanted to make sure she had a reliable counter attack to present to them. She felt alerting everyone about Sasuke's plan so early would hinder her ability to find a solution fast enough. She needed time to think things through and the council interference wouldn't be helping her out. Naruto on the other hand couldn't help much when it came to the medical terms and details of Sakura and Tsunade plan. So he focused more on finding Sasuke instead; his location was of the upmost importance.<p>

"What if we create a synthetic protein to try and coat the chakra shell, perhaps an extra shell will disrupt the chakra's protection of the virus," said Sakura.

"Well it's a long shot, but we I don't see the harm in at least trying. You have to remember Sakura, neither I nor my medics have ever dealt with something like this before. However if your suggestion is successful we may be able to find a real cure."

It would be perfect if it worked, if only we had prior experience with something like this. Dealing with that chakra shell is going to be such a nuisance. To think Kabuto was able to create something so ingenious is beyond me."

"Well what's your plan for finding Sasuke while you and your medic's get to trying to engineer this synthetic protein?" Asked Naruto.

"Well I still need to find out where the other Kage's stand. We can't forget that their villages have infected people too. What progress we make with finding a cure is going to affect everyone else. I know you don't want to wait, but everything is going to take time."

"So my team's stuck here until you hear from everyone?"

"I'm sorry Naruto, but yes. I can still use all of you for other purposes, but when it comes to pursing Sasuke you're all on hiatus," said Tsunade.

Naruto's slumped in his chair; he was clearly disappointed. Sakura placed her hand on his shoulder; she knew that's not what he wanted to hear, but it was necessary. Tsunade rose from her seat and began collecting the notes she and Sakura had been going over.

"I'm confidant that your plan is going to buy us some time Sakura. I feel far much more confidant facing the council now. They won't be too happy that the process of creating a synthetic protein is going to take time, but it's that or just sit around doing noting," said Tsunade as she collected everything and placed it in a vanilla folder. "Now I want you two to go home, I'll notify you both as soon as I have new information to share."

Naruto and Sakura rose from their seats and said their goodbyes. Sakura followed Naruto out of Tsunade's office; she thought she'd be in a better mood but instead she felt odd. Even though she had cracked the key to Sasuke's plan relief wasn't what she was feeling. Instead a deeper veil of dread consumed her as she left for home with Naruto by her side.

* * *

><p>Sakura sat on Naruto's bedside in her pj's. She watched Naruto procrastinate; he was still fully dressed. Sakura sighed heavily and her tone finally got Naruto in gear. He began to undress in silence, he removed his forehead protector and the ultrasound picture of their baby fell to the floor. It quickly caught Sakura's attention. She leaned over the bed and picked up the black and white photo.<p>

"You had this with you the whole time?" Asked Sakura.

"Oh yeah, I took it with me to border patrol, and then to my mission in Koka. Kinda looks foolish of me doing that now, but I wanted to have you two close to me."

"That's not foolish Naruto, its sweet," said Sakura.

"Yeah but what if someone found it on me, it has your name on the top you know."

Sakura looked closely at the ultrasound picture. Sure enough Naruto was right; her name was there in plain sight along with how far along she was. Sakura felt no worry what so ever despite the fact that Naruto had a point. She couldn't help but smile at how sweet her new husband was.

"Look Naruto all that matters is that no one saw so don't worry about it," said Sakura as she continued to looked at the picture.

Naruto sat down next to Sakura and leaned in to look at the picture of their baby. He wrapped his arm around her and brought her closer.

"What are we going to do Naruto?"

"What do you mean?"

"About the baby, I mean what kind of world are we bringing them into. I was so excited about being a mother, but now I'm terrified about what kind of future awaits our child."

"I'm not going to lie to you Sakura-chan, I'm really worried myself. I have a whole new kind of responsibility on my shoulders now. I'm going to be someone's father. This is a whole different level of importance, one I've never felt before. I'm constantly afraid that I'm going to fuck it up somehow."

"I feel the same way Naruto. It's hard to believe we're going to be parents. I guess I never took the time to think how being shinobi and parents would complicate things. I'm just at the beginning of my pregnancy and things are already so dangerous. What in the world are the next 8 months going to be like?"

"Don't worry Sakura-chan I swear I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that nothing happens to you two."

"I believe you Naruto," said Sakura.

"You don't know how much that means to me Sakura-chan, with your faith in me I can do anything. No matter what happens we're in this together. We both have to be strong for our baby."

"You're right Naruto, we have to set our fears aside, the baby is our top priority," said Sakura she placed her hand on her belly.

A few moments of silenced pass, the two love birds stayed close by each other's side. Suddenly Naruto's yawing broke the quite atmosphere. Sakura smiled at him, it was then that something came to her mind. Their child was going to be a combination of the both of them. Would the baby be more like her or Naruto? What if they had a girl but with Naruto's attitude, or a boy with Sakura's demeanor. So much had happened that these aspects had slipped Sakura's mind. She and Naruto hadn't had a chance to discuss anything other than their baby's safety.

"Hey Naruto, what do you think the baby's going to be?"

"What like a boy or girl?"

"Yeah, we haven't even really thought about the baby's sex."

"I guess I never really gave it any thought, I'm still in shock that you're pregnant," said Naruto.

"Awe come on Naruto, every parent has a secret desire in their child's gender," said Sakura as she playfully nudged Naruto's shoulder.

"Well I guess I'd really like a boy. I think it would be awesome to do all the things with him that I never got to do with my dad."

"Awe a boy, he would be our little man, and a little girl would be our little princess," cooed Sakura.

Naruto smirked at how giddy Sakura was behaving; he was glad that she was looking forward to motherhood despite everything looming over them. Sakura felt Naruto's gaze on her and she turned to look at him, she smiled sweetly.

"What?" Asked Sakura.

"Oh nothing I was just thinking how much of a wonderful mother you're going to be Sakura-chan."

"You really think so Naruto? I've never really seen myself being the motherly type, what with being a shinobi and all."

"I disagree I think you've always been motherly. You're always the one that's concerned if something happens to someone on our team. You worry so much for everyone, and to me that's what mothers do."

"Wow I never thought of my constant worrying like that before."

"Well that's just what I think, I really don't know much about what parents should be like. However I know you're going to be an awesome mother Sakura-chan."

"Thank you Naruto, you'll be an amazing father too."

"I hope so," said Naruto nervously.

Sakura cuddled up close to reassure her husband; Naruto wrapped his arm around her lovingly. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Sakura's cheek.

"I know things look bleak at the moment Sakura-chan, but there's no way I'm letting Sasuke ruin the balance I worked so hard to obtain. I know you're worried about what kind of world our child will be born into Sakura-chan. However I won't rest until Sasuke is stopped. I'm going to ensure that our baby will be coming into a world of peace, not one of fear and turmoil."

Sakura believe everything Naruto had said, his words had the ability to melt the despair that clung to heart. It was true that the threat that surrounded their village was utterly out of their control; all they could do was hope that Sakura's idea would work. She knew Tsunade would ultimately figure out Kabuto's virus; then Naruto and his team could bring Sasuke to justice. There was one thing Sakura knew for sure, and that was that everything was going to take time. There was no need to dwell on the unknown; it wasn't going to do them any good. Sakura sighed and relaxed, she decided to enjoy the gift she carried inside her. She rubbed her belly softly, she knew that no matter what happened Naruto would do everything in his power to keep Sasuke far from their home, and their child.

* * *

><p>I made a small change in this chapter. Originally I thought Asuma's kid was a boy. All we got for ages was just a picture to go off of but now it turns out that Asuma's and Kurenai's child was a girl, so I changed that in here. The child won't be in the story that much but I just wanted to clear that up when they are introduced later on in another chapter.<p> 


	21. Chapter 21:Developments

Hey everyone, I hope you all are doing well. I on the other hand am much better now. On Feb 10th I went to the ER with intense kidney pain. I could have sworn that I had a kidney infection but they determined that I was in the process of passing a kidney stone. I was sent home with some pain killers and instructions to drink as much water as humanly possible. It sucked because the pain was the worst that I've ever felt in my life and the pain killers weren't that strong due to me being pregnant. Long story short I waited three days in blinding pain, but I pulled through and never went back to the hospital. I passed the stone a few days later. My obstetrician told me I must be wonder women since I bit the bullet and stayed at home despite the pain. I've always known that I have a high tolerance for pain but this really showed me how strong I really am. My doctor told me that I just went through pain that's worse than natural child birth, and I was like hell yeah I'm the bomb XD So now I'm so much better but still very sore in my kidneys if I don't drink enough water. I was basically in bed for a week so that really put writing this chapter on hold.

As for my pregnancy I'm getting bigger and bigger by the day. I can feel Gideon kicking me at all hours of the day. His kicks are getting much stronger now. Plus he's getting bigger since now I can feel him push up against my hip bones, it's a crazy feeling believe me. Anyhow I've been busy editing the earlier chapters of the story, and let me tell you they needed them. So many of them were filled with typos, and some stuff just didn't make sense so I changed a few things. Now the story is looking so much better since I went back and fixed everything. On a side note I have a tumblr now that has a page devoted to this fanfic. I have ppl message me on Fanfiction with their ideas and what not so I decided to make a place where I could put updates about the fic. The link to my tumblr is in my profile page so check it out to see some sweet little tid bits on the story's development.

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>The sound of water dripping on the floor echoed though the dark dank cave. The delicate drops hitting the puddles below were all that was heard. The caves slick walls were slightly illuminated by torches that adorned them. The smell inside the drafty cavern was that of damp earth; clearly mold and algae were everywhere. Suddenly a low rhythmic slithering sound drowned out the peaceful melody of falling water. Kabuto silently made his way through the labyrinth that lay within the cave. He held a manila folder under his arm as he quietly slithered his way through the cave tunnels. After many minutes of taking twists and turns he stopped by a door that was merged into the wall. Kabuto stood before it silently as if preparing himself. After a few moments he slowly opened the door and went inside.<p>

The inside of the room looked very much like the tunnels Kabuto had been traveling. The only real difference was that there were numerous pieces of furniture arranged throughout the room. One piece of furniture was a long desk that was in the center of the room. Right above it hung a rather large Uchiha banner. Kabuto approached the desk and place the folder he had been carrying upon it. The top of the desk was already cluttered with maps of the great shinobi nations, along with several files of shinobi. The maps were riddle with red marking and notes, clearly they were tactical plans. Kabuto looked around the room and his attention was drawn to a dark corner not far from where he was standing.

"I brought the new reports like you requested Sasuke-kun."

"Did you run into any problems?"

"No, now that we've deposed of Karin we aren't getting tampered intel. I still don't understand why you even used her, all she ever did was complicate things."

"And you'll never understand Kabuto, I have my reasons. Besides she's been taken care of, I honestly thought she'd be on our side but it seems her new found love for Konoha was larger than her infatuation with me."

"Are you sure it was wise to just let her go?"

"Yes, remember I have my reasons Kabuto."

"Well who's to say she even makes it back to Konoha alive. She left here in pretty bad shape, I suppose it doesn't matter, she's one less thing we have to worry about."

"Enough about Karin she's of no importance, I'm more concerned with what new developments you have for me," said Sasuke as he approached the paper cluttered desk.

"Well for starters Konoha hasn't shown any signs of making a cure. So it's safe to say that the rest of the infected villages are just that, infected."

"Just as I thought, Konoha is the key to the rest of the great nation's status. Without a cure for Konoha everyone else is doomed," said Sasuke.

"Exactly, as long as we can keep Konoha stumped there is no hope for anyone else."

"Well we really don't have to work towards that, there is no way they can stop what has already started. What about Naruto Kabuto, what is he up to?"

"Now how did I know you'd want the dirt on Naruto-kun," leered Kabuto.

"You know all too well he's our only liability," replied Sasuke.

"Of course Sasuke-kun, I made sure I got as much information on his whereabouts for that very reason. So far I've learned that he's in charge of a special unit that was created solely for tracking and capturing us. His team leaves the village at least once a month, and they're gone for a week to two weeks."

"That seems like very little time to do any real tracking. I'm surprised Naruto isn't on a nonstop crusade to track me down."

"I agree, it seems he's still doing his best to stay in Konoha. However his team is starting to become a nuisance. They've already found some of my scout clones that I had stationed near Iwagakure a few days ago."

"When were you planning on telling me this Kabuto."

"I decided to just tell you at our usual briefing, besides they were just scouting clones."

"I'm aware they were only scouting clones, but I want to be notified immediately especially if it has to do with Naruto. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Sasuke-kun it won't happen again."

"Good, now then I'm sure you'll revert to calling in which scouts we have left keeping tabs on villages."

"Yes I've already dismissed the scouts we had left out. From now on we won't be able to get our information so easily."

"We have all the information we need, so losing the scouts isn't a big deal," said Sasuke coolly. "So then Naruto isn't in Konoha right now."

"No he's nearing the end of his shift so he should be heading back soon. However I'm sure finding our scout has delayed his trip home."

"I see, I wonder why he's only staying out on the search for just two weeks tops, that doesn't seem like him."

"Maybe he wants to stay close just encase we attack the village."

"No that's not it, Naruto wouldn't be occupied with babysitting the village. On the contrary it would be rather difficult to get him to remain home. What about team 7 is he still going out on missions with them?"

"No that team has been disbanded."

"Disbanded, how so?"

"I'm not entirely sure but it seems that our plan has caused them to break up. Kakashi and Sai are dealing with Anbu, and Sakura is no longer going on missions."

"That nuisance isn't going on missions?"

"No she hasn't left the village in a few months. I'm guessing she's been helping Tsunade out with the virus. That or Naruto-kun doesn't want her leaving the village for her own safety, you remember how much he loves her Sasuke-kun."

"Yes I suppose you're right, I should have suspected that Naruto would keep his prize far from my grasp. So then enough talk of those worthless cohorts of mine, I'm more interested in Naruto's new team. Who does it consist of?"

"Well that was a little harder to gather but not to worry I got the teams members all right here," said Kabuto as he pushed the manila folder towards Sasuke.

Sasuke casually flipped open the folder and went through the files of each member. He was surprised to see that each member had something useful to bring to the team. Neji Hyuga has his clan's technique the Byakugan which was excellent for finding what the naked eye can't see. Kiba Inuzuka file was also present in the folder. His nose was insanely strong, it's no wonder he was placed on a tracking team. Sasuke continued looking through the files and stopped when he saw Sai's. Here was Sasuke's replacement on Team 7. Sasuke had no idea what kind of person Sai was, but from his profile he could see that he was proficient in following orders. He also saw he had served for Root, the unorthodox Anbu subdivision Danzo founded.

"It seems like Konoha means business, this is a formidable team, but they have no chance in finding us," said Sasuke.

"Of course they don't, but we have to assume that other villages are also involved in the search for us."

"You're right Kabuto do you have any new information regarding this?"

"No I don't, and like you pointed out Naruto about our scouts will make it impossible to gather any further information."

"It doesn't matter Kabuto, the incubation process is approaching rapidly. In just a month everything will fall into place and Konoha will fall."

"What about Naruto, he's still a threat even with the incubation time approaching. He wasn't infected Sasuke-kun."

"Don't worry about Naruto I'll take care of him, is there any word on the Kages?"

"Actually yes I was able to gather that information since it happened before I dismissed the scouts. Tsunade recently met with the other Kages for a meeting. Thanks to that little gathering the alliance has us in its sights."

"Is that all that was discussed?"

"Unfortunately I'm not sure Sasuke-kun."

"No matter it's not important. Now then what is important is that our forces are ready to attack as soon as the incubation time is ready."

"Yes of course, I'll make sure that everything is still in order. Do you have any further orders then Sasuke-kun?"

"No that's all for now Kabuto, all we can do now is wait," said Sasuke as a smirked spread across his face.

* * *

><p>Naruto and his team had been traveling for a day straight. The weather had started wearing on them so they decided to camp out deep in the forest outside of Iwagakure. The large endless mountain range was far behind them. The vast rocky mountain range was so foreboding at night, it was such a depressing sight. Everyone was dressed in their winter coats; the weather in Iwagakure was dreadfully cold and windy. Naruto leaned up against a tree with his eyes closed as the rest of his team got their gear in order.<p>

"We'll be ready to leave in the next few minutes Naruto, are our orders to return home the same?" Asked Neji.

"Yeah I wasn't expecting to come across that weird creature we found near the southern border of Iwagakure. We've already wasted some time reporting our findings to the Tsuchikage. Now it's time for us to head home and report to Baa-chan."

"Wait why don't we just use your reverse summon Naruto? If you're so worried about wasted time then just take us home instantly," said Kiba.

"I normally would but since we found that thing near the village borders I want to make sure there aren't any others along the way. Reverse summoning would take us to Konoha right away but we'd be leaving the route home insecure."

"Agreed, it's better to be safe than sorry, worst case scenario we'll get home tomorrow night," said Neji.

"Yeah but we didn't see any of those things on our way here, who's to say that they're there now," said Kiba.

"I understand where you're coming from Kiba, but we can't take the risk," muttered Naruto.

"Alright then you're the boss," said Kiba as he slowly backed away from Naruto.

Neji could also feel Naruto's frustration, both he and Kiba silently decided to continue preparing for their departure. Sai on the other hand approached Naruto silently. He joined the blonde shinobi and leaned against the side of the tree as well. Sai looked up at the stars; the night was frigid since it was already November. The pale Anbu let out a sigh; his warm breath turned into white vapor due to the winter weather.

"I think your decision to take the long way home is the right thing to do Naruto-kun. I know Sakura-san would be very proud of you," said Sai.

"Yeah I know she'd be proud of me, I just hate leaving her alone for so long. Part of me agrees with Kiba, I just wish I could be back by her side. However I know it isn't the right thing to do. I can't be selfish at a time like this."

"I see, but this just isn't about leaving her alone for two weeks out of the month is it?"

"What are you getting at Sai," muttered Naruto.

"You're disappointed that you missed the appointment she had last week at the doctors."

"Yeah I guess disappointed is a good way to put it."

"She was going to learn what she's having right?"

"Yeah, and I wasn't there with her. That's something so important and special and she had to go through it alone."

"I'm sure everyone that's in Konoha was there for her, she wasn't entirely alone. However I don't quite understand the bond that the both of you share. I'm sure you being there is something no one could replicate, even with their best intentions."

"You said it Sai, you should give yourself more credit, you do understand," said Naruto as he playfully nudged Sai's shoulder.

"Well if it's one thing you've taught me Naruto-kun is that you can't learn everything from a book. I've learned to observe and listen to my friends in order to better understand them," said Sai politely as he slowly walked towards Naruto.

Naruto smirked at Sai; even though he had his awkward moments Sai did his best to raise his friend's spirits. Naruto stood up straight and patted Sai on the back. They both walked over to the vibrant glow of the warm camp fire. Akamaru was curled up taking a nap while Kiba was warming his hands by the fire. Neji saw his two teammates approach as he finished packing his knapsack.

"So are we getting ready to leave?"

"Almost I just want to make sure we're all on the same page."

"Alright then we're all ears," said Kiba as he patted Akamaru.

"Good, now here's what's going on. For starters Neji is going to survey the area before we leave since he can see quite a few meters ahead. Once the coast is clear we'll head out. We'll only check out areas that would be good for spying, if we stopped every time we reached the extent to Neji's felid of vision it would take us twice as long to get home."

"That doesn't sound too complicated Naruto-kun, hopefully we don't encounter anymore of those things," said Sai.

"Agreed, that thing we ran into looked a lot like the white Zetsu's we fought in the war. I wonder if any of them are near home," whispered Kiba.

"That's what I'm afraid of, they're clearly connected to Sasuke," replied Naruto. "Alright then everyone lets head out, we need to get home."

"Right!" Yelled everyone in unison.

Each of them spread out into their proper positions and prepared themselves for what lay beyond the forest ahead.

* * *

><p>Sakura opened her eyes only to see a room filled in darkness. After a few moments her eyes adjusted and she saw her familiar bedroom. She slowly sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her pink locks. It was pitch black outside and the apartment was a little chilly. Before she could mentally complain the heater kicked on.<p>

_Thank goodness Naruto had his old heater replaced, if not I'd be freezing right now._

Sakura looked over at her alarm clock and saw that it was only 11:15pm. For a few moments she wondered what had woken her up, she had only been asleep a few hours. Suddenly she felt a soft little kick below her waist line. It was then that she felt the pressure on her bladder, courtesy of her child. She began to wiggle out of bed when she felt someone next to her stir; it was Shiba one of Kakashi's ninken.

"Is everything ok Sakura-san?" Yawned the ninken.

"Oh yes Shiba, I just need to use the restroom."

"Alright than, I'll be here."

"Ok."

Shiba put his head back down onto the bed but kept a watchful eye on Sakura as she crawled out of bed and slipped on her slippers. She made her way to the restroom as quickly as possible. The apartment was still a bit chilly. Shiba continued watching Sakura as she scurried to the bathroom. The gray ninken hopped off the bed and stretched. He shook the sleep off him as best he could so he could search the apartment for anything suspicious. Kento was perched on the window sill; he watched silently as Shiba walked into the leaving room with his nose pressed to the floor. He made his way through the entire apartment and sure enough everything was in its place. Shiba yawned lazily and made his way back to Sakura and Naruto's bed room. He jumped onto the bed and made himself comfortable. As soon as he had done so he heard Sakura finish up in the restroom.

She made her way into her bedroom and hurriedly hopped into the warmth of her bed. She got herself as comfortable as she could get with her growing belly. Once she was in a good position she cuddled next to Shiba. Sakura really enjoyed the ninken's company, especially at night. Both Kakashi and Naruto thought it would be best if she had Shiba and Kento as company and protectors. Not all of Sakura and Naruto's friends were in the village to keep an eye on her, so she was often left alone. Naruto liked the idea of her having his summon and Kakashi's watching over her just encase. Sakura didn't mind, she enjoyed the company. It was nice to have animal companions that talked to her. Still they couldn't replace her friends or Naruto. Sakura sighed softly at the thought of her husband. Naruto wasn't home yet, and she was starting to get worried. She knew there was no exact time for him to arrive home, but for some reason she felt it was taking him longer than usual. Before she could dwell on her worries she felt a small kick on the side of her belly. She smiled and rubbed her stomach affectionately.

"We have a big surprise for your daddy don't we little one. Just you wait soon he'll be home and we'll get to tell him our big news," whispered Sakura.

With that said she tried to relax so she could go back to sleep. The only thing that kept her from fully drifting off was the soft kicks of her baby.

* * *

><p>Sakura squinted her eyes; she groaned and rolled over in bed. The bright morning sun was leaking into the bedroom through the mini blinds. The young kunoichi mumbled to herself as she pulled the covers over her face. The instant darkness the covers provided was just ideal. Sakura snuggled up to her pillow and yawned softly. Before she could drift off back to sleep a soft knock at the door startled her. She pulled the covers off her head and sat up quickly.<p>

"It's your mother," yawned Shiba.

"My mother, oh god why is she here so early," sighed Sakura.

"Don't you remember? You told her earlier this week to come over today early in the morning," said Kento.

"Oh my god how in the world could I have forgotten," said Sakura.

The apartment was warmer than what it had been a few hours ago, but the inside of her bed was Sakura's personal oven. The last thing she wanted to do was have to slip out of bed, but she knew she couldn't leave her mother out in the cold. Another knock was heard and Sakura sighed as she dragged herself out of bed. She pulled on her robe and slippers as she reluctantly walked into the living room towards the door. She opened the door and found her mother Hanako waiting in the cold. Hanako looked up at her daughter with a look of concern; she held her cream colored jacket close to her chin.

"Sakura is everything alright, it took you an awful long time to answer the door."

"No everything is fine mom, now come inside it's freezing."

Hanako entered the apartment and made her way to the living room. Sakura closed and locked the door; she then made her way to join her mother.

"I hope I didn't wake you Sakura," said Hanako.

"Oh no I was already up, I just kinda of forgot that I had asked you to come over today."

"Well forgetting appointments is just one of the many wonderful side effects of pregnancy Sakura," chuckled Hanako as she made herself comfortable on the couch.

"I guess you're right, it's just so out of character for me mom," said Sakura as she sat next to her mother.

"I know honey but it won't last forever, just a few more months to go and you'll be back to being yourself."

"I know time has been going fast. Having this baby is becoming more of a reality, it's so scary."

"Well honey you've done so much in your life already what with being a kunoichi. However motherhood is an entirely different journey in itself. I won't lie to you it will be difficult, but you won't be alone. I've raised you to be a strong, vibrant women and I know you'll make an excellent mother."

"Thanks mom that really means a great deal to me," said Sakura as she leaned on her mother.

"What does Naruto say about all of this?"

"He's worried, not finding any signs of Sasuke-kun is really putting stress on him. I know he's going to come back home apologizing for no reason."

"Well he really has a great deal on his shoulders. It's only natural that he's worried."

"I know but I can't help but feel that my past actions towards Sasuke-kun are still hurting Naruto."

"Sakura the past is the past, I know for sure now that Naruto loves you, so don't worry."

"You're right mom I need to stop bring up old memories that won't fix anything. So then I guess I should get dressed so we can head out."

"Yes but I wasn't anticipating the weather to be so chilly, so make sure you bundle up."

"I know it looks dreadful outside, but I promised Naruto I'd have places for him to look at when he got back home."

"So you've narrowed down your choices from last time?"

"Yup Ten Ten and Ino really helped me out. I didn't think I'd be so picky at finding a new apartment to live in."

"Well it isn't just about you this time. When you first moved out you just wanted a place of your own. You weren't concerned about the location or price, as soon as you got your moment of opportunity you left. Now you have two other people to think of, so being picky is a good thing, it shows how much you've really grown Sakura."

Sakura slightly blushed, her mother was right. She really had grown, when she had first moved out it was out of spite towards her mother. She couldn't stand Hanako not accepting Naruto at the beginning of their relationship. All she wanted to do was hurt her mother in any way she could and moving out was the perfect outlet. Hearing her mother talk about her past actions was embarrassing, Sakura felt very guilty for never really apologizing to her mom. At first she never thought she deserved it, but over the past few months their relationship was the best it had been in years and guilt was something that nagged Sakura. Before she could say something Hanako rose from the coach and knelt on the floor; she began to pet Shiba. The ninken closed his eyes as he relished in the attention. Even though he wasn't your average dog he couldn't resist a good scratch behind his ear.

"Have you fed him yet Sakura?"

"Oh no I haven't had a chance mom, could you please do that for me if you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind, he helps keep you and my grandbaby safe while Naruto is away," cooed Hanako.

"Great there's some chopped raw steak in the fridge. Just feed him that for me while I get dressed," said Sakura as she hurried into her bedroom.

* * *

><p>The streets of Konoha were busy despite the chilly weather. Winters in Konoha weren't very cold compare to other places but the villagers were used to warm sunny weather, so winter to locals wasn't very comfortable. It was already past 3:00pm and Sakura and her mother were finishing up their day together. The air was crisp and cool but that hadn't stopped mother and daughter from shopping after they were done apartment searching. Poor Shiba found himself carrying both women's purchases for the day. The ninken was dressed in a long beige jacket, just like the one's shinobi's wore when the weather was bad. Shiba lowly growled in frustration, Kento was lucky he got to be nice and warm inside Sakura's purse. The gray ninken sighed in defeat and continued to follow both women in silence.<p>

Hanako had on her long cream trench coat that was tightly tied to her small waist line. A light gray silk scarf adorned her head, but her light pink locks were still quite visible. Sakura on the other hand wore a black long sleeve shirt with a puffy pink cardigan jacket over it. Her long legs were kept warm since she was wearing black leggings and her usual knee high boots. Sakura had started noticing that wearing her favorite boots wasn't the best choice if she was going to be on her feet for long. Her ankles had started getting swollen and it only got worse the longer she was walking.

"So do you feel confidante placing the deposit on the second apartment we looked at?" Asked Hanako.

"Yeah I do mom, the layout it had seemed that it would fit Naruto and I better than the first apartment's floor plan. Plus it's a three bedroom, the price is right, and it's very close to the hospital too."

"Yes I agree the location is ideal, you'll be close for when the baby comes, plus you'll be close to work as well."

"Yeah even though working at the hospital again is far away. I plan on staying home with the baby for quite some time," said Sakura.

"And there's nothing wrong with that, I personally would have urged you to do that if you didn't do it on your own."

"I know mom, Naruto feels the same way."

"Do tell," said Hanako,

"Well he really thinks its best that I just stay at home after the baby is born. We have no idea what things are going to be like when I give birth. So we both figure putting everything shinobi wise is the best choice."

"Well said Sakura, I think that's a good idea, and I'm happy that Naruto feels the same way. As shinobi you always have to be on guard especially when it comes to your family. Now then you're sure Shikamaru is going to be at Hokage tower?"

"Yeah he and I always meet there around this time. He keeps me up to date on the findings for a cure with the virus, plus he lets me know if there are any new developments on Sasuke-kun."

"Alright then just don't overwork yourself, are you sure you just don't want me to walk you home?"

"Mom its ok I meet Shikamaru all the time, I know he won't mind walking me home," said Sakura.

"Alright I just feel guilty leaving you alone."

"Mom I won't be alone, I'll be with Shikamaru, plus I have Shiba and Kento with me too."

"That's right we'll keep Sakura-san safe," barked Shiba.

Hanako smiled as she affectionately patted the ninken on the head. The trio made their way to the end of the main market place street and made a left towards Hokage tower. Villagers nodded at Sakura and her mother. Things had changed over the months, Sakura and Naruto's little predicament was no longer a scandal in the village. Most villagers had just moved on, while most had come to accept the fact that the village hero was going to be a father. Sakura had also come to terms about her new situation. She had learned that stress was the last thing she wanted to add to her pregnancy. She was still considered high risk since the two previous Jinchuriki had been women. Naruto was the first male vessel to conceive an offspring, so no one really knew how this would affect the pregnancy. Sakura and her mother soon found themselves getting closer to Hokage tower. Not far from the entrance waited Shikamaru; he was leaning up against the side of the building. He was wearing his normal attire with the edition of a black scarf. Ino had probably been behind it, she constantly nagged at Shikamaru for never dressing warmly enough. Knowing Shikamaru he had probably just given up and worn the scarf so that he could avoid any further scolding from Ino. He lazily looked up and smirked when he saw the two ladies approaching him.

"Hello Mrs. Haruno, Sakura," said Shikamaru as he greeted them both.

"Hello Shikamaru," said Hanako as she approached the youth. "I hope you'll do me a favor and accompany Sakura home. It's getting close to lunch and she should really get something to eat."

"Mother please," said Sakura as she rolled her eyes.

"Well you do you know, my grandbaby needs to be fed and the only way that's happening is if you stop and eat."

"I know mom Shikamaru will take me home, we won't go anywhere else."

"Good your health comes first."

"Don't worry Mrs. Haruno Sakura's right, I'll make sure she gets home safe and sound," said Shikamaru.

"I know I can trust you Shikamaru," said Hanako.

"See mom you know I'm in good hands," said Sakura as she moved closer to Shikamaru.

"I know Sakura I just can't help but worry, just call me when you get home," said Hanako as she turned around towards the hospital.

"I will mom," said Sakura as she waved goodbye.

Hanako left the two young shinobi alone, and the next thing Sakura knew her mother had disappeared into the crowd of people up ahead.

"You know that's going to be you one day Sakura," said Shikamaru as he led the way towards her apartment.

"And what exactly do you mean by that Shikamaru?" Inquired Sakura.

"The fact that you're going to be a worrisome mother to that child you're carrying."

Sakura looked down at her belly and realized that Shikamaru was right. Her mother was still doting over her every move, and it seemed even more so now that she was pregnant. Her mother had put it perfectly a few days ago. She said she couldn't help being over protective and worrisome since her baby was having a baby. Sakura could only imagine how protective she was going to be over her own baby. Shikamaru turned around and saw Sakura rub her belly gently. He slowed down his pace to allow the ever growing Sakura to catch up.

"Everything ok?" Asked Shikamaru.

"Oh yeah sorry I was just daydreaming," giggled Sakura.

"Well that's understandable," chuckled Shikamaru. "So then we should hurry and get you home, I don't want you mom coming after me.

"You're taking me home so soon? Does this mean that there aren't any new developments you want to share with me?" Asked Sakura as she caught up to Shikamaru.

"Now I never said that Sakura, I just wasn't expecting your mom to ask me to take you home. If it's one thing I've learned about women is that you do what they ask you to do, no questions asked. So I'm taking you home, besides the information I have to share with you needs to be discussed in a more private location. So what better place to talk about things then at your place. I keep my promise to your mother, and I inform you about some interesting developments," said Shikamaru as he smiled at Sakura.

"Oh my god Shikamaru don't do that, I was little scared that you had nothing for me. So did Naruto's party find Sasuke-kun?" Whispered Sakura as she clung to the shadow shinobi's arm.

"No, but we did find Karin," answered Shikamaru.

"Karin?"

"Yeah don't you remember she's been missing for months now."

"Well quite honestly I thought she had just gotten tired of being watched over and left."

"No things aren't that simple, it turns out she's been with Sasuke this whole time."

"What she actually went back to him even after Sasuke-kun almost killed her?"

"Sakura please keep it down," whispered Shikamaru. "I never said she was with him willing, she's in really bad shape. It looks like she was tortured and beaten for a while."

Sakura's eyes widen in horror, here she thought Karin was just as love stricken and naive like she had been over Sasuke all those years ago. However that wasn't the case at all. Sakura had to admit that Karin wasn't one of her favorite people but she didn't deserve this. After Karin was brought into Konoha's custody she turned a new leaf. Tsunade had decided it was best to keep her under surveillance in the village. She was shown mercy since Karin had provided Konoha with vital information about Sasuke and Askatsuki. Plus she never showed any hostilely towards her captures. All they ever got from her was demanding orders, but that was just her being harsh and bossy. In exchange for her cooperation Karin was allowed to stay in Konoha as a civilian, she wasn't allowed to go on missions, nor was she allowed to leave the village alone. Sakura was shocked to learn that Karin had been taken against her own will. She picked up her pace and pulled at Shikamaru's arm.

"Hurry up Shikamaru we need to get home so you can tell me everything."

* * *

><p>Sakura walked out of the kitchen with two cups of warm green tea. She handed one to Shikamaru while she sipped the warm liquid from her cup slowly. She sat at the kitchen table and waited as Shikamaru took a drink of his green tea. He could feel Sakura's piercing jade eyes lock onto his every move. He placed the cup down gently on the table and sighed.<p>

"So I guess I should continue where I left off."

"I want to know everything Shikamaru, don't hold any information for me," said Sakura sternly.

"Of course, I'm not here to sugar coat anything Sakura. Besides I know you wouldn't let Naruto hold any information from you so I sure as hell won't take that risk. So then Karin was brought back to the village by a scouting team last night. She was found wandering aimlessly in the outskirts of our borders. At first glance the scouting team could see she had been traveling for some time plus she was also in horrible shape. Currently she's at the hospital in a private room, separate from the public. Her mind is still very fragile but she did tell us that she was held captive by Sasuke this whole time."

"How can that be, I mean how could Sasuke-kun have access to her if she was here in the village?"

"The best explanation is that Karin escaped from the village of her own free will. You have to remember she's a sensory type, so she might have sensed the threat and went to investigate. She probably found Sasuke or perhaps someone he sent on his behalf with his proposal. More than likely she wanted nothing to do with him and chose to keep Konoha safe over her old feelings for him. So she lied and agreed to help, but she never kept her end of the bargain."

"She went out of her way and tried to protect us," whispered Sakura.

"Yeah she's the spy we suspected was in the village. However all the information she relayed to Sasuke was never accurate. It looks like Sasuke got fed up with her unwillingness to corporate and made her suffer for her betrayal."

"That's horrible, I would have never thought Karin would stick her neck out for us like that."

"Well you have to remember that Karin doesn't have a village or family at all. I guess the time she spent here meant more to her then we might have thought."

"I would have never thought of it that way," said Sakura.

"I don't blame you Sakura after all Karin was a prisoner of ours that was still under surveillance. However she never caused us any problems the whole time she was here. She even made some friends amongst the villagers. Those individuals started asking questions on her whereabouts. Tsunade-sama had to come up with a story for her disappearance."

"What did she tell everyone?"

"She told those that were concern that Karin was helping us by tracking Sasuke. Everyone is aware of the threat he's been to us so everyone bought the story. Now that Karin is back we want her to recover unnoticed. We just can't leave her home, she needs rest and recovering, in more ways than one."

"So it looks like it's going to be sometime before you can really get some answers from her then."

"Yeah her mind is too fragile Sakura. Having her interrogated right now in her current condition could have dire consequences."

"Well at least we'll eventually learn more about Sasuke-kun's whereabouts," said Sakura as she hung her head low.

"Don't look so down, I know that the news is disturbing and saddening but I have some good news too ya know."

"Really?" Asked Sakura as her spirits lifted.

"Yup, Tsunade-sama and her team have finally found a protein that is neutralizing the chakra in the virus. They've been monitoring the results for a few days now. However Tsunade-sama wants to make sure that the new protein can do its job. The last thing she wants to do is jump to conclusions just to have the cure fail after a few weeks. So all we're waiting for now is the news that this synthesized protein can disrupt the chakra shell," said Shikamaru as he gave Sakura a quick smirk.

"Really, oh thank the heavens that is great news," said Sakura as she held her chest with both hands. "Naruto is really going to be happy to hear some good news for once."

"I was thinking the same thing, I'm surprised he isn't back yet," said Shikamaru.

"Me too," whispered Sakura.

Shikamaru winced at Sakura's tone; he regretted what he had just said. Sakura was clearly worried that Naruto hadn't returned home yet. He watched the young kunoichi as worriment covered her face. She sighed softly as if trying to keep her composer. Shikamaru silently panicked, he was never good with crying women, let alone a pregnant one.

"There's no reason to get down Sakura. I'm sure Naruto is on his way right now, besides you know there isn't a set date for his return from his monthly missions," stuttered Shikamaru.

Sakura could hear Shikamaru's voice crack from him being nervous. She smiled weakly; she thought it was so funny that emotions were Shikamaru's weakness. She straightened herself out and did her best to look reassured.

"You're right Shikamaru I need to be more optimistic," said Sakura. "I'm sure Naruto is probably on his way right now."

"That's the spirit Sakura."

"Thanks Shikamaru, I can't dwell on things and worry for no reason, stress isn't an option right now."

"Don't sweat it Sakura," replied Shikamaru.

"So can you stay for lunch Shikamaru?"

"I'd love to Sakura believe me but I have business to attend to back at Hokage Tower," said Shikamaru as he looked at the clock on the wall. "I actually need to be heading out in order for me to get there on time."

"Alright then, thanks again for everything Shikamaru. I feel so much better when I'm kept up to date on things."

"Anytime Sakura, if I learn anything else you'll be the first person to know."

With that said Shikamaru helped Sakura out of her seat; she held her back as her spine got use to carrying the extra weight. After a few seconds she led the way to the front door. Shikamaru let himself out and waved goodbye, he then quickly made his way down the stairs. Sakura closed the door so that the warmth from the apartment wouldn't escape. She made her way back into the kitchen to find Shiba sitting by the fridge. His tail wagged in anticipation as Sakura grew closer.

"So what's for lunch today Sakura-san?" Asked the hungry ninken.

* * *

><p>Night had fallen over Konoha and the village seemed eerily silent. It was dreadfully windy and cold and very few people were out in the streets. Naruto quietly made his way up his apartment stairs in the dark. His body was tired but his mind was racing from the news he had received when his team reported their findings to Tsunade. After so many fruitless months things were finally starting to move, he was getting closer to finding Sasuke. Tsunade had told Naruto and his team that they would probably be leaving as soon as Karin was strong enough to be interrogated. If she had valuable information concerning Sasuke's location then Naruto's team would be deployed immediately. Sakura would not be happy; Naruto would be probably be gone for a longer amount of time. Naruto sighed as he searched for his keys to let himself inside his apartment. He walked inside and closed the door as quickly and quietly as possible. He looked down to find Kento and Shiba waiting for him. He knelt down in front of them to listen to what each of them had to say.<p>

"Welcome home Naruto-kun," said Shiba.

"Yeah boss good to see you in one piece," replied Kento.

"Good to see the both of you as well, so how were things while I was gone?"

"Nothing unusual to report Naruto-kun, Sakura-san is doing just fine."

"That's good, I'm glad that everything here at home was pretty uneventful."

"For the most part yes but I'm sure you were brief on Karin," said Kento.

"Yeah I'm aware of Karin and her current condition. I can't believe Sasuke would go so low as to do that to a former team mate."

"Well he keeps surprising us with how vile he can be doesn't he," croaked Kento.

"Yeah, anyhow I also have some interesting news to share. Our team found what looked like a clone with some of white Zetsu's characteristics."

"Those things caused such a fuss during the war," said Shiba.

"Yeah and it looks like Sasuke and Kabuto are still using them. We found one hidden in the forest outside of Iwagakure. We informed the Tsuchikage about it and he deployed specialized shinobi to patrol his borders. I made sure we came home on our guard. We stopped every few meters so we could survey the area. Thankfully we didn't run into anymore during our trip home. However Baa-chan want's some Hyuga's and Kakashi sensei to look over our borders just to be on the safe side."

"Why can't you just sense them out like you do with all your enemies?" Asked Shiba.

"Because these are just clones they harbor no emotions or intentions, so I can't feel them out like I could an actual person."

"I see that really complicates things."

"Yeah it does, anyhow Shiba I need you to report to Kakashi sensei and let him know what's going on. Baa-chan told me he should be on his way home from a mission but I know you can easily reverse summon yourself."

"Of course I can, I'll be there in a flash, is there anything else I should relay to my master?"

"Just let him know about Karin as well, I think its best that Kakashi sensei knows what's going on here in Konoha."

"You got it Naruto-kun, and tell Sakura-san I said bye."

"I will and thanks for watching over her for me Shiba," replied Naruto.

"Anytime, we all know that I'm her favorite out of the rest of my pack," snickered the ninken and with that said he was gone in puff of white smoke.

"Alright Kento you're free to go too, and thanks."

"No problem boss," said Kento and he disappeared as well.

Naruto stood up and stretched; he removed his coat and made his way to his bedroom. He entered his room to find Sakura sleeping soundly. His heart skipped a beat when he looked at his beautiful wife; it had been over two weeks since he had last seen her. Naruto wanted to do nothing more than to slip into bed with her and hold her in his arms. However he needed to shower desperately, plus he wanted to get his mission report out of the way. So instead Naruto walked over to Sakura and brushed her bangs away from her face. He leaned over and kissed her softly.

"I missed you so much Sakura-chan, but I'm home now," whispered Naruto.

* * *

><p>Sakura felt deliciously comfortable in bed, she slowly rolled over and looked at her alarm clock. It was 8:00am. He eyes widen, she was surprised that she had slept the whole night. Usually her nights weren't so great what with getting up so often to use the restroom. Sakura wondered why she had slept so soundly when suddenly she heard a familiar sound. It was light snoring, and she knew it wasn't Shiba. No this sound belonged to only one person, she instantly rolled over to find Naruto sleeping next to her. Her eyes filled up with tears of joy, she reached for his face and cupped it with both her hands. She made her way closer to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips. She was surprised to get a kiss back as Naruto leaned in towards her. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss. Naruto in turn wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer. He was stopped however by her growing belly, Sakura was unable to mold to his body like she once had. He broke off the kiss and look down were her belly was hidden by the bed covers.<p>

"Sakura-chan you've gotten bigger," said Naruto.

"You think so?"

"Well yeah but that's not a bad thing or anything, It's not like I'm saying you're fat. I mean you're big but not overweight big, no wait," stuttered Naruto.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's reaction to her growing belly.

"Naruto it's alright I understand what you're trying to say, so don't worry. Besides its only natural that I get bigger, I mean there is a baby growing inside me."

"I know Sakura-chan I just didn't want to hurt your feelings or anything. It's kinda hard to guess how you'll react when I say something stupid, what with hormones and everything," said Naruto as he winced, he was clearly waiting for a beating.

Sakura smiled and sighed, she knew she could really scare Naruto with her temper; however she knew she was even more of a handful now that she was pregnant. She figured he deserved a break from her nagging, especially after being gone for so long.

"Right now I'd let anything you do or say slide, I'm just happy you're home," said Sakura as she embraced Naruto. She nestled her head on his chest as Naruto held her close.

"I'm glad I'm home too Sakura-chan I missed you so much," whispered Naruto.

The young couple held one another as they lay silently in bed. Sakura had missed everything about Naruto, the way he smelled, the way he breathed, even the sound of his heart beating.

So how are you and the baby doing, is everything alright?"

"We're both doing great, my pregnancy seems to be a normal so far. It looks like the due date I was given of February 13th is still the same."

"I'm glad that everything is still normal, I can't stand leaving you alone, I'm always afraid something may happen to you."

"No I'm doing alright and this little guy is really giving me a run for my money. He constantly kicks and bounces on my bladder at night. Before his kicks were soft and suttle but now they're getting so much stronger. I can only imagine what the next three more months are going to be like. Oh well that just means that he's going to be strong like his daddy," cooed Sakura.

"He, you mean you're having a boy?"

"That's right Naruto we're going to have a son."

* * *

><p>So there you have it everyone Naruto and Sakura are having a boy, sorry for those of you who wanted them to have a girl. I've wanted them to have a boy when I first started writing this, so no fans had an influence on what I decided. I was really surprised how many of you wanted them to have a girl. It would have been cute yes but it wouldn't have fit the plot of my story. Anyhow I took two things into consideration when it came to picking the sex. One I looked at what I wanted when I was pregnant and that was a son. Second Naruto is the main character and most men want a son to carry on their name. So a boy it is :D his name will come later on. Also this chapter was kinda slow compared to the past chapters. However there really hasn't been much going on in the last 6 months. So this chapter was recapping everything that has happened. Now the next chapters will start to pick up speed again, so no worries there. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter so thanks for reading and please review if you have a chance. I do appreciate the favs and story alerts, but reviews let me know what you all think of the direction I'm taking the story :D<p> 


	22. Chapter 22: Always be prepared

For starters yes I'm alive and 8 months pregnant. So yeah writing has been difficult to say the least. Being in front of the computer for long hours isn't physically possible anymore. I know I said I wanted to finish the story before I had my son, but yeah that's so not happening. I much rather continue the story instead of rushing it and ending it just to end it. So not to worry I will still continue the story until it is done. The updates may not be coming out that fast but at least it will get done the right way. I haven't had a chance to go over my revised versions because one reviewer told me that they're still littered with typos, so yeah my bad XD I tried. Having my 2yr old son run around while being pregnant makes editing really freaking hard. So who knows when I'll get to finishing that. Also sorry if there are typos in here too but honestly I don't think they're bad enough to make people's eyes bleed, or at least I'd like to think that ^^; Anyhow this chapter is where things start to pick up. After this the story really gets kicked into over drive. So for those of who have wanted answers and action just stay tuned. Oh and I just realized this story will be a year old on the 16th, wow that was fast XD

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Naruto and Sakura walked into their new apartment; it was far much larger than their currant place. The lack of any furniture also made the apartment look even larger. Sakura walked around the big empty living room as she talked to herself softly. She was making mental notes on where she wanted furniture arranged. Naruto on the other hand went a different direction as he held their new apartment keys tightly in his hand. He made his way down the hallway as he softly hummed to himself. He passed a bathroom to his left and soon he passed a small room to his right. He peered inside and remembered Sakura stating that this room could be used as an office for the both of them. She insisted that the baby be with them in their bedroom until he was a year old. Naruto continued his tour and made his way to their new bedroom. He was left speechless to see how spacious their new bedroom was. Naruto had always lived in the same apartment so this was all so new to him. Sakura kept complaining that moving was going to be a nuisance, but at least they didn't have to move much. For Naruto the whole idea of moving was something he had never had to deal with, so he was excited for the experience. He felt Sakura approach him from behind; she wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled close to him.<p>

"So do you like it Naruto?"

"Like is an understatement Sakura-chan, this place is great!"

"Thank god that's a relief. I knew you wanted to have a new place ready when you got back. I was a little nervous having to make the final decision myself," said Sakura.

"You shouldn't have worried Sakura-chan, I knew you'd do a good job. I mean just look at this place, it's perfect," said Naruto as he hugged Sakura tightly.

"Thanks Naruto, so then all that's left is to start packing," sighed Sakura.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan it won't be that bad, I can always use clones to help us get the job done."

"I guess you're right Naruto, at least I won't be doing much lifting."

"Correction you won't be doing any lifting at all," said Naruto.

"Oh is that so," giggled Sakura.

"Yup I'll handle all the lifting while you tell me where to put everything."

"Are you sure about that Naruto, you do realize that this is going to be way worse than when I moved in with you a few months ago. All I had you do last time was organize the living room and you couldn't even handle that, all you did was complain."

"Oh that, well give me a break Sakura-chan that was my first experience with organizing furniture. I'll be able to handle everything this time," boasted Naruto.

"Alright then if you insist, but I'm making a mental note that those words just came out of your mouth. The moment you start complaining I'll remind you that you said you could handle it," teased Sakura.

"Fair enough, but what happens if I don't complain at all. Do I get some sort of incentive?" Asked Naruto, as he flashed Sakura a devilish smile.

"Oh I don't know, we'll see," cooed Sakura as she pulled Naruto close for a kiss.

* * *

><p>Naruto and Sakura walked the streets of Konoha side by side. Sakura had wrapped her arm around Naruto's as they made idle chit chat about their plans for moving. Their plan of action was simple enough. Sakura would be in charge of labeling the boxes and deciding what went into each box. Naruto would be the one to move the boxes back to their new place. Sakura was sure that they could get their friends help if need be, but if all else failed Naruto had a limitless amount of clones at his disposal. What was important was that all the moving was done as soon as possible. In theory Naruto could be ordered to leave the village again at any given moment, and the last thing he wanted was to leave Sakura alone with the task of moving. Sakura wanted to get started as soon as possible, but she knew she and Naruto had to stop by and visit someone first.<p>

"I'm so happy it isn't too windy today, when it is its unbearable outside," said Sakura as she clung to Naruto for extra warmth.

"You think so Sakura-chan?"

"Of course I think so this winter is freezing compared to last winter. I don't think I'll ever understand how you can just walk around with that scarf I made you a few years ago. I swear you and Shikamaru are the same when it comes to weather."

"It's just mind over matter Sakura-chan. I'm not saying I don't feel the cold because I do, but I don't focus on it. Besides this scarf really is all I need at the moment," said Naruto as he pointed to the knitted scarf Sakura had made for him.

She had given it to him as a gift before they were dating. It was a black scarf that had an orange stitched fox at the end of it. Sakura had never really made anyone anything, but she was quite proud at how it had come out. Naruto had worn it without a doubt every winter, and that really warmed Sakura's heart. She smiled at Naruto and snuggled close to him as they both continued their journey through the village.

"So you want to get something to eat once we're done with our visit?" Asked Naruto.

"Oh I thought you'd never ask, I'm starving," replied Sakura.

Naruto paused for a bit at her reply.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hungry Sakura-chan?"

"Because we have somewhere important to be."

"True but you're also important," lectured Naruto.

"It's no problem Naruto I can wait."

Naruto looked down at Sakura as she held his arm tightly; a smirk spread across his face. He stopped walking and waited to see Sakura's reaction, sure enough she turned around confused.

"Why did you stop?" Asked Sakura.

Naruto didn't answer; instead he scooped Sakura up bridal style. He brought his pink haired beauty close to his body. Sakura squeaked as Naruto held her close. She was clearly surprised by his actions; however her feelings soon turned to embarrassment as she heard people snickering as they walked by.

"What in the world are you doing Naruto!"

"I'm solving the problem of us needing to be somewhere and you being hungry."

"Pray tell how is picking me up going to solve anything?"

"We can get to where we're headed too much faster if I carry you and run," said Naruto.

"Alright then but you can't go running as fast as you did the last time you decided to carry me. I got so light head I almost fainted, so keep it at a good pace ok."

"I won't run too fast Sakura-chan, I promise."

With that said Naruto took off with his wife in his arms. He dodged people swiftly and made his way down the streets of Konoha as quickly and as gently as he could. He decided to neglect his usual urge to run up the side of a building and run along the roof tops. He had made the mistake of running far too fast for his young wife and upon arrival she was nowhere near happy. At first Naruto had thought that she wouldn't mind the fast pace journey since not too long ago she was traveling the same way. However Sakura had explained to him that being carried by someone else is completely different. She didn't like not knowing what Naruto was going to do, and because of that she became very disoriented and dizzy. Naruto felt Sakura's grip around his neck loosened and he could tell that she was comfortable with his pace.

Sakura watched as they passed by buildings rather quickly. She had to admit she missed being able to travel like this. In all reality she very well could still move this fast, however it wasn't the smartest thing to do right now with her pregnancy. The pink haired kunoichi had to admit that Naruto was doing a very good job with his speed. The cool breeze on her face felt nice, even though it was little numb due to the cold. Sakura ignored the weathers effect on her delicate skin and enjoyed the rest of her journey in her husband's arms.

* * *

><p>Autumn leaves blew carelessly by the memorial stone Naruto had made for his master. Sakura watched silently as Naruto knelt down and cleared the area of the remaining dead leaves. Underneath the amber colored foliage was a copy of Jiraiya's book The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. Naruto couldn't help but smirk as he thought of the countless times Jiraiya had gotten them both in trouble with all his research. Naruto had thought of all the complaining and troubles he had given the old Toad Sage, however looking back those were some the happiest times of his life.<p>

"Happy Birthday Ero-Senin," said Naruto as he stood up and dusted his knees. "Look I brought Sakura-chan with me."

"Hello Jiraiya-sama, Happy Birthday," said Sakura.

"It's really a shame you aren't here anymore you old coot, I would have loved to see what you would have said about this right here," said Naruto as he affectingly rubbed Sakura's belly. "It's a boy you know, I'm going to make sure to show him the ropes, just like you did with me. Though I don't think his mother would appreciate me showing him everything you taught me," snickered Naruto.

Sakura gave Naruto a questionable look; thanks to Tsunade she knew Jiraiya wasn't just known for being one of the legendary senin. She softly chuckled to herself; she decided not to question his comment. Sakura continued to watch Naruto as he had a conversation with his dead master. She saw how vibrant he was when talking about everything that had happened since Jiraiya's passing. Even though there was a smile on his face Sakura felt sad for Naruto. She could tell that his expression was one of happiness however it was underlined with sorrow. Naruto continued to talk out loud; Sakura slowly reached for his shoulder.

"Hey I'm going to leave you alone alright. You know my feet start to hurt if I stay standing in the same spot for too long," said Sakura as she kissed Naruto's whiskered cheek.

"Sure Sakura-chan I won't take much longer."

"No Naruto don't be in a rush because of me, I'll be just fine, take your time," said Sakura.

Naruto smiled at her and she in turn smiled back him. After a few silent moments of gazing at each other Naruto once again turned his attention back to Jiraiya's memorial stone so he could continue his conversation with his master. Sakura sighed softly and made her way to a nearby tree. After only taking a few steps she suddenly felt extremely dizzy. Sakura steadied herself as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Maybe the trip over here was a little too much for me," whispered Sakura.

She slowly made her way towards a nearby tree and leaned her body against it. The sudden dizzy spell was still plaguing her and in a flash she noticed new symptoms. Her body was trembling and she felt her palms become clammy. It was odd how quickly this was all hitting her, Sakura shook her head as she listed her symptoms mentally. However as much as she tried her mind refused to focus. Sakura began to panic as her breathing became labored; she slowly pulled herself away from the support the tree was providing her. Unfortunately she realized too late that this wasn't the smartest thing to do. Her legs didn't respond the way she intended them to, and soon she felt her slender stems buckle underneath her. The young kunoichi couldn't do a thing as she felt herself helplessly fall backwards. She wasn't even sure if she'd feel the impact of her head hitting the cold forest floor. No she would probably already be out cold by the time that happened. So Sakura waited for either a sharp pain that would soon ravage her head or the cold darkness waiting to engulf her. However she didn't pass out, nor did she hit the floor. Instead she felt someone catch her. Sakura desperately tried to focus on her savor; soon she saw Naruto's blue vivid eyes staring intensely at her. She saw his lips move rapidly as he gently shook her limp body. Sakura couldn't say a word to her frantic husband. Instead she fell deep into the abyss of her mind, a place where even Naruto couldn't save her.

* * *

><p>Naruto watched helplessly as Sakura passed out in his arms. His heart was racing and for a few moments he felt weak and lost. Sakura's lifeless body felt like dead weight to him, he looked down at her for any signs of her waking up. Despite his silent pleading there was no response from Sakura, she was out cold, or worst. Naruto frantically searched for her pulse and found it right away, he felt somewhat relived but still the sight before him wasn't very cheerful. Naruto's eyes wandered down to her belly and it was then that reality hit him. Not only was Sakura in trouble, but there unborn son was in danger as well. Naruto scooped Sakura up in his arms and bolted towards the village. He held her close as he focused on getting her to the hospital as quickly as possible; never in his life had the young jinchuriki run so fast.<p>

Naruto was a mess when he entered the hospital. He looked around frantically until he saw a nurse walking down the hallway; he quickly made his way towards her.

"Please you have to help me, my wife just fainted and I have no idea what's wrong with her," stuttered Naruto.

The nurse turned around to acknowledge Naruto. She looked at the young shinobi, he looked horrible, he was sweating profusely and looked worry stricken. The nurse was about to reassure him until she saw Sakura's pale form in his arms. Her demeanor quickly changed and she hurriedly led Naruto to an open room close by. She instructed him to place Sakura on the bed as she pressed a red button along the room's wall. Within a few moments more nurses flooded the room and surround Sakura's limp body. They rapidly began taking her vitals as Naruto watched helplessly. Sudden he felt someone gently touch his arm. He looked down to see a familiar nurse who often worked with Sakura, but her name slipped his mind.

"Naruto can you please come outside with me so I can ask you some questions?" Asked the nameless nurse.

Naruto couldn't answer instead he slowly nodded his head as the young women led him out of the room. The next thing Naruto knew he was in the waiting room which wasn't too far from Sakura's room. Without being told he slumped into one of the plastic waiting chairs. The young nurse also sat down next to him. Naruto knew she was by his side but his mind was racing as it replayed the events that had just accrued.

"Naruto you did the right thing by brining Sakura here, I know you're extremely fast so please rest assured she's in good hands."

"I honesty wish I could run faster, the trip over here seemed to take forever," whispered Naruto. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Well that depends on what information you can give me, any clues you can provide us with will better aid us in helping Sakura."

"Of course I'll do whatever it takes to help Sakura-chan. So what do you need from me, ummm sorry your name slipped my mind," said Naruto as he looked at the young women before him.

"My names Yuki Naruto, and here's how you can help. Has Sakura been complaining about anything health wise?"

"Health wise you say, well no nothing that I can think of really. I've been gone for two weeks, I just got back yesterday. However she did tell me that she's been tired, but she told me that was normal."

"What about today, did something seem odd with her?"

"No not really, she did mention she was hungry. I also carried her a little bit, the last time I did that she did faint. However I made sure my pace was perfect, and Sakura seemed fine during the trip."

"Alright then Naruto thank you it might not seem like much but I'm letting Tsunade-sama know what you told me. Now I'll be right back with some paper work for you to fill out. I know it's tedious but its protocol," said Yuki.

"Sure," said Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama will talk to you as soon as we have Sakura stable. Again don't worry Naruto, Sakura is in the best place she can possibly be."

With that said Yuki left Naruto alone in the empty waiting room. He sighed heavily as he ran his fingers through his blonde hair. Naruto couldn't stand situations such as this, he hated feeling helpless. He was so use to being able to take control of any problem and fix it. However something like this was well out of his hands and the feeling was infuriating. Naruto heard the Kyuubi huff in frustration but that was all he heard, even the demon fox was at a loss for words. Naruto was surprised that the Kyuubi wasn't raising hell, but he was glad, he needed time to think. Suddenly Yuki came back like she said she would with a clipboard and pen. She handed Naruto the paperwork and left once again. Naruto groaned at the thought of pointless paperwork. Hopefully this wouldn't be as grueling as his mission reports; after all it was just filling in Sakura's medical information. Naruto got to work answering the endless array of questions. Most were simple enough but others stumped him for a few minutes. None the less he was still able to successfully fill out all the paperwork. He stood up and made his way to the nurse's station when he suddenly felt Tsunade's chakra. He turned around quickly to see her exiting Sakura's room. Naruto stumbled towards her, Tsunade saw him approaching; she quickly held up her hand.

"She's fine Naruto I have everything under control."

"I was scared shitless Baa-chan, what the hell happened to her, did I do something wrong?" Yelled Naruto.

"For starters keep it down, we are in a hospital, now come with me," ordered Tsunade.

Naruto quickly placed the clipboard on the table in front of the nurse's station. He then ran towards Tsunade to catch up. They made their way back into the waiting room but this time Naruto didn't want to sit down, he just wanted answers.

"Sakura's fainting spell wasn't your fault Naruto, she did however have something ailing her. She fainted because she's anemic.

"Anemic?"

"Yes, basically Sakura has an iron deficiency due to the pregnancy's requirements for higher levels of it. Her body just wasn't able to keep up with the new demands. Sakura probably had no idea of her condition since most of the symptoms one gets with being anemic are also very common pregnancy symptoms."

"Which are?"

"Feeling weak, tired, and dizzy are just a few. Normally one doesn't faint when anemic but perhaps her empty stomach contributed to her condition."

"So now what happens to her?" Asked Naruto.

"I've given her an iron supplement in the form of a pill that she'll take daily until the baby is born. Once that happens her iron levels will go back to normal. We'll keep here for observation, but knowing Sakura that won't be too long."

Naruto almost fell to his knees when he heard that something as simple as a pill would prevent this from happening again. He remained still as Tsunade walked by him; she took a seat in one of the waiting chairs and sighed.

"I'm getting too old for this," muttered Tsunade.

"You're actually admitting that you aren't as young as you look," mocked Naruto as he sat next to her.

Instead of a smart remark or a smack on the head Naruto receive nothing from the 5th Hokage, not even a glance, he was alarmed to say the least. Naruto leaned forward to get a better look at Tsunade. Now that he knew Sakura was ok he realized Tsunade didn't look too well. Her skin was a bit paler and for once her age could be seen in her face. Not so much with lines and wrinkles, but more of a look of being worn out and tired.

"Hey Baa-chan it's alright you said Sakura-chan is going to be alright, so don't worry."

"I know Naruto, but getting the call that Sakura was rushed to the hospital unconscious was probably one of the worst feelings I've ever felt."

"I know what you mean Baa-chan, I didn't think I could get here fast enough," whispered Naruto.

Tsunade look over in his direction slowly, Naruto had grown so much since the day she first met him. He had always reminded her of Dan and her brother Nawaki. However when she saw his relationship with Sakura she couldn't help but see the relationship she had with Jiraiya.

"Naruto the life of a shinobi is one of uncertainty, you know that. I may not be fond of my aging but with it comes a very important task. It's my responsibility as an elder to ensure that future generations surpass the generation before it. In doing this the young become older and eventually they themselves bring life to a new generation. It's an endless cycle and both you and Sakura have already started a new generation by conceiving a child. I almost lost it when I thought I could lose Sakura, and the unborn child she carries. A master should never see their pupil die. Sakura's more than just my student Naruto, and I know Jiraiya felt the same way about you."

Naruto was taken aback by Tsunade's words and it was then that he realized why she looked so down. Today was Jiraiya's birthday after all and if it was hard for Naruto to still except what was it like for someone like Tsunade. She had known Jiraiya since she was a child; they were teammates, friends, and perhaps something more. Jiraiya would always boast about Tsunade's secret undying love for him. At first Naruto saw all this as a bluff but after traveling with Jiraiya he soon learned that there was some truth in the old toad sage's words. With Jiraiya there were never straight forward answers but Naruto knew that both his master and Tsunade had a complex relationship that if given a little more time could have been something more. Now that he was gone that was never going to happen and Naruto knew Jiraiya's passing had hit Tsunade rather hard. She never shed a tear in public nor did she ever share her sorrow. Then again how could she, she was always so busy running the village. She'd never had time to herself to grieve for Jiraiya.

"He would have been so happy to see everything that you've accomplished Naruto. I never took the time to realize how much that perverted old fool meant to me. So please learn from my mistakes and cherish your comrades and above all your loved ones," said Tsunade as she rose from her seat.

Naruto watched as Tsunade slowly made her way out of the waiting room.

"He loved you Baa-chan, you know that right?"

Tsunade froze and Naruto watched as her body began to tremble. She remained in this state for a few seconds. Before Naruto could say anything else Tsunade stood up tall and continued to walk away. It was then that Naruto felt a nagging feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. There was something else Tsunade was keeping from him and he didn't like that one bit. However for whatever reason he was glued to his seat as Tsunade left the room. Now Naruto was left with just his thoughts to keep him company.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru walked into his bedroom and threw himself into his bed. Ino wasn't far behind and when Shikamaru crashed into bed she crossed her arms in frustration.<p>

"I know you've been working overtime but can't you at least acknowledge me before you decided to take a nap?"

Shikamaru answered Ino, or at least she heard him saying something. However he didn't bother turning his head so she could hear him clearly. All Ino heard were muffled sounds coming from her boyfriend. She huffed in frustration; she didn't bother yelling at Shikamaru anymore, it was pointless. Instead she sat at the edge of the bed and waited to see if Shikamaru would apologize or snore loudly. She felt him get comfortable and a few moments later she heard him snoring. Ino sighed and looked back at her boyfriend. Just by looking at him her frustration started to fade. She knew he had been working so hard, now she felt bad for scolding him. Ino cover Shikamaru with a light blanket and made her way out of their bedroom. She gently closed the door behind her. She thought of a good way to keep herself occupied. She snapped her fingers and decided to keep herself busy with getting dinner started early.

Ino started gathering ingredients for dinner when she heard a knock at the door. She made her way to the living room and opened the front door. She was more that shocked to see who was on the other side of the door. Standing before her was Temari and Chouji.

"You told me you were taking me to Nara's place tubby not Blondie's," snorted Temari.

"This is Shikamaru's place, and it's also Ino's, they live together. Wait what did you just call me?" Asked Chouji, he was little slow to catch the fact he was just insulted.

"Chouji what the hell is going on here?" Asked Ino as she glared at Temari.

"Look Ino she's here on important business, but Tsunade-sama wasn't at Hokage Tower. Apparently there was some kind of medical emergency with one of her patients so she wasn't available. So because of that Temari reports to the next person in line."

"Well wouldn't that be the council," said Ino, she was already growing rather annoyed.

"Yeah but Temari…"

"Look I've worked with Nara before and I much rather speak to him then the council," said Temari. "So is he here or what?"

"Yes he's here but he's asleep, you'll have to wait."

"Look princess this isn't something that can wait!"

"Princess? Look here Temari you better watch your mouth or so help me.."

"Ino it's alright we don't mind waiting," said Chouji nervously.

Ino shot Chouji a glare; he winced at the look she was giving him. Ino sighed and realized that Chouji was just trying to keep the peace. Even though Ino wasn't thrilled that Temari was here she decided for the sake of the information she should let her inside. So despite Ino's anger she made room to let Temari and Chouji inside. Ino caught a glimpse of Chouji's face, she could clearly see him mouthing the words I'm sorry. Ino nodded in his direction letting him know she understood these events were out of his hands.

Temari and Ino had been silent rivals for some time now. It all started when Ino started dating Shikamaru. It was a well-known fact that Temari had some romantic interest towards Shikamaru way before he had mustered the courage to ask Ino out. When Shikamaru finally asked his teammate to be his girlfriend Temari was shattered. She had become dreadfully bitter towards Ino, but on the other hand Ino could care less. The only thing that really made Ino upset was how often Shikamaru was with Temari. The Suna kunoichi loved to see Ino get upset when she and Shikamaru we're paired up together in Konoha and Suna relations. Neither of them had ever said out loud why they despised each other, and frankly it probably wouldn't even change things.

Ino sighed as she closed the door behind her. She slowly followed her two unexpected guests into the living room. Chouji made himself at home like he always did, while Temari looked a little out of place and nervous. She finally sat down on the couch; her eyes wander all over the place as she looked around the apartment.

"So what's so important Temari?" Asked Ino.

"In all reality I don't have to tell you anything Ino, however I'm not in the mood to argue with you," replied Temari.

Ino did her best to keep her composer; it took all her strength to behave. Temari could see that her remark had clearly gotten to Ino, but she wasn't going to fall for her trap. Temari leaned back in the couch and decided to go ahead and stop toying with her host.

"Suna received news via hawk from Konoha that there is indeed a cure to this mysterious disease. We were told in the message to travel here at once so that we could retrieve the cure."

"You're the only one your brother decided to send?" Asked Chouji.

"Well we were informed to keep the party small. If it weren't for that Gaara would have been sure to send me off with a much larger team. However to make up for me making the journey here alone I'll be escorted back to Suna by Konoha shinobi. Your lover boy will probably be one of the lucky shinobi that gets to take me back home."

"Wonderful," said Ino sarcastically.

"It's amazing that Tsunade-sama was able to find a cure," said Chouji.

"I know what you mean our village was on edge waiting. My brother wanted to send some of our top medics to help but we have several injured back home. So we simply couldn't afford a shortage of medics."

"Why do you have so many injured?" Asked Ino.

"Well for starters just like your village a large amount of our elite shinobi were targeted by the illness. Under Tsunade's advice we were told to keep them home under strict medical supervision. So lower ranked shinobi have been picking up the slack left by the shortage of the elite being out of commission. So naturally we had shinobi of lower rank being placed in teams they normally would be in to begin with. Of course we've had casualties from other elites protecting the weak, or the weak falling prey."

"That's horrible," whispered Ino.

"Yeah Gaara wasn't too happy about the idea, but we need to be making money. He put an end to the substitutions and found a safer way to go about things."

"Well it's good to see that Gaara cares for his people. I mean your brother isn't known for being the emotional type," said Chouji.

"I know he isn't but the village and its occupants mean everything to him, he's a good man," said Temari.

"So then when do you plan on leaving?" Asked Chouji.

"As soon as possible, that's why I said this news couldn't wait."

"I know it's important Temari but what good is Shikamaru going to be to you if he can't even stay awake for a few minutes," snapped Ino.

"Listen Ino this is important, sleep or no sleep I need to talk to him. Once I do that we'll probably leave right away. Beside it's not like Nara hasn't been without sleep, he's a shinobi he can handle it."

"I never said he can't handle it, I just want him to get some rest!"

"Ino, Temari, please don't fight," pleaded Chouji.

"Look the sooner we leave the sooner he'll be back. It's a simple escort mission so don't get your panties in a knot!"

"No it's not a simple escort mission Temari," yawned Shikamaru.

Everyone turned towards Shikamaru, neither one of them had even noticed him enter the living room. Ino stood up right away, she felt like an idiot.

"Shikamaru I'm so sorry we woke you up."

"It's not that big of a deal Ino don't feel bad."

"Well sleeping beauty why in the world would you say that this mission isn't going to be a routine escort?"

"Because Temari there's something you don't know about the cure. It isn't going to be as simple to transfer like we originally thought. You have almost everything you need back at Suna to make the cure yourselves. We have a few herbs here that you will need."

"What, then why the hell was I sent here in the first place?"

"You were sent here to do the escorting Temari, you misunderstood."

"Don't be stupid Nara I know what the message said," snapped Temari.

"Well that may be true but you didn't read in between the lines. You will be escorted back to Suna by a team of Konoha shinobi however it will also be your job to help guard who we're really escorting."

"But I was told I was here for the cure, and you just said that most everything we need for the cure is back home so what is it Nara stop playing games!"

"You've always been such an impatient women you know that Temari," groaned Shikamaru as he stretched.

Temari huffed in frustration and turned her head away from Shikamaru. Ino smirked, it was nice to see Temari get frustrated. However Ino couldn't relish her rival's annoyance because she herself was confused by what her boyfriend had just said.

"Shikamaru what are you trying to say?" Asked Ino.

Shikamaru yawned again, it was clear that he was still very tired. He rubbed his eyes to help with his grogginess and when he looked up he noticed all eyes were on him. He sighed and slouched up against the wall.

"Seems like you guys haven't figured things out on your own, I should know better, being cryptic with you guys always leads to a dead end. So I'll just be blunt, we'll be escorting the person who is going to make the cure to Suna, and there's only one medic who can do that."

* * *

><p>Sakura slowly walked into her apartment with Naruto close by her side. She couldn't help but smile at all the fussing Naruto was making over her every move.<p>

"Naruto really I'm fine," reassured Sakura.

"Yeah the last time you told me that I thought I had lost you," said Naruto as he hovered over his young wife.

"I know and I'm sorry that I put you through that, but really I'm fine."

"Are you sure Sakura-chan?"

"Yes but I am a little tired so I'm going to go take a nap. Do you want to join me?"

"No Sakura-chan I really don't think I could sleep right now. You go right ahead though, I'll find something to do to keep me busy," replied Naruto.

"You sure?"

"Yeah don't worry about me Sakura-chan."

"Alright then, just don't let me sleep for too long ok," said Sakura as she made her way to their bedroom.

Naruto nodded in agreement and walked over to the living room couch. He sat down and leaned back against the soft cushions with his arms resting behind his head. He closed his eyes and did his best to try and clear his mind. However Naruto still had an uneasy feeling from everything that had happened earlier in the day. He was relieved that Sakura would be taking something to prevent an episode like this from occurring again. However he couldn't shake the feeling he got from Tsunade. He hated when she kept things from him, it was never a good sign. Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes but before he could have some peace he heard the Kyuubi stir inside his mind.

"**You agree with me that your precious Hokage is hiding something from us don't you know," growled the Kyuubi.**

"Yeah I do, I was so worried about Sakura-chan that I didn't even notice it until afterwards. There is more on Baa-chan's mind then just her lingering sorrow for Ero- Senin."

"**Keh I could care less about Tsunade's emotions Naruto. However even I have to admit that I wasn't on my guard. All I was concerned about was the wellbeing of our mate."**

"I know what you mean, this rarely happens but if Sakura-chan is involved it's a different story. I become a blundering fool, I can't believe I noticed this too late. Now what in the world am I supposed to do? I can't go and confront Baa-chan, we both know doing that always ends in disaster."

"**Well sitting down isn't going to work either you know," mumbled the Kyuubi.**

"I'm not saying I'm going to sit on my ass and do nothing!" Snapped Naruto.

"…"

The Kyuubi's silence disturbed Naruto; he could tell that even the fox demon was at a loss for words. Naruto felt uneasy for a bit, he remained silent. This whole conversation with the Kyuubi was strictly mental. Naruto knew Sakura was probably still awake and the last thing he needed was for her to overhear what they were talking about. Naruto tried to relax on the couch; at first his attempts were unsuccessful as he struggled to get comfortable. However over time he didn't even notice himself falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>A soft knock on the door is the next thing Naruto remembered. He was still on the couch and it was clear that he had fallen asleep. He wiped the drool from his mouth as he reluctantly stood up. He sluggishly walked over to the front door and opened it. His vision was still blurred but he could tell that Shikamaru was standing outside his door.<p>

"We need to talk," said Shikamaru as he let himself in.

Naruto realized this wasn't just a normal visit; he shook the sleep from his tired body as he closed the door. Shikamaru was standing in the living room with his arms crossed; his attitude was bleak, even for him.

"This is about Baa-chan isn't it?"

"Yes and no, I swear nothing gets by you," muttered Shikamaru.

"Yeah well I didn't notice until it was too late. It all happened today at the hospital."

"Yeah I heard about that, sorry you had to go through that but at least Sakura is alright."

"Yeah, so what the hell is going on Shikamaru?"

"It's about a new mission that has just been assigned to several of us."

"A mission, what are the details?"

"Suna has suffered greatly and they are in desperate need of the cure Tsunade-sama just found. They are the one village that was hit the hardest and most of their shinobi are out of commission. There are even rumors that the Kazekage was inflicted as well, however we can't verify that. If word got out about this rumor whether it be true or not Suna would be in even greater danger."

"So what's the problem a mission to help out shouldn't be a burden. On the contrary it should be top priority, especially if Gaara is at risk."

"You're right and it is, Temari has already arrived for the mission. She and some of our own are going to travel to Suna together. We need to ensure that Suna gets the cure."

"Sounds simple enough so you're here to let me know I have to leave again right? If so it's no problem, I know Sakura-chan won't be happy about it but that's no reason for Baa-chan to be so worried. She should have just briefed me on this mission instead of keeping it from me."

"No Naruto I'm not here to brief you I'm here to brief Sakura, she's the one that's going, not you."

"What…"

"The cure cannot be made and then transferred Naruto. It would lose its potency in the three day journey to Suna. In the event that it did survive the heat in Suna alone would deem it useless. So someone greatly skilled in antidote and potion making is required to travel to Suna. They will leave Konoha with what herbs are needed to create the cure, the rest of the raw materials are in Suna. Tsunade-sama can't just leave the village to make the journey, and Shizune is not allowed to leave the village since she's one of the infected. So naturally Sakura is the next choice, even Tsunade-sama admitted that Sakura's skills are better than Shizune's."

"So my pregnant wife is expected to make the three day trip over there? What the hell is Baa-chan thinking, and why the fuck can't I go!"

"You already have your assigned team and soon you will dispatch to investigate Sasuke's whereabouts. Karin is already showing signs of wanting to share what she knows. So you see Naruto you're needed elsewhere."

"This is just insane I won't' allow it!" Yelled Naruto as he stormed around his living room.

"Look Naruto I can only imagine how you feel but this has to be done. Now you know why Tsunade-sama felt horrible. She has the burden of asking Sakura to do this and then she has an episode and ends up at the hospital. Now she's in the position of putting Sakura in even more danger, but that's a life of a shinobi."

"I know but she hasn't been active for months now and all of a sudden she's assigned something like this!"

"I know it's extremely troublesome Naruto, but I'm going on this mission. Rest assured I won't let anything happen to Sakura, I promise."

Naruto sighed, today just wasn't his day. He raised his head and rubbed his temples softly, he knew things were only going to get even more complicated. Without even turning around his addressed his wife.

"You can come out now Sakura-chan."

Sakura slowly made her way out of the bedroom. She saw that Naruto had his back towards her, but she knew Naruto was aware of her ease dropping this whole time. Shikamaru looked over Naruto's shoulder, he noticed that Sakura was unsure on how she should react. He had to admit he didn't blame her for her confusion, however she soon gathered her wits about her and she stood up straight.

"When do we leave Shikamaru?" Asked Sakura.

"We leave as soon as you're ready Sakura."

"Good, give me 10 minutes."

* * *

><p>So did anyone other than me see this coming? Is it something that surprised you or was it just super apparent lol. Anyway it's question time for my readers. Do you want Naruto to somehow find a way to go on the mission with Sakura? Or do you prefer for him to stay behind? I already have two outcomes ready to go, I'm just curious to see what you all think. Again I'll try and fit more chapters in but being a full time mom that works from home full time as well means that my life is beyond hectic. However I love this story and I will not let it just fade away :D<p> 


	23. Chapter 23: Darkening Skies

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>The living room was dead silent; Shikamaru slouched as he waited for someone to say something. The atmosphere within the apartment was beyond awkward and the shadow shinobi knew that the tension within the room was reaching its boiling point. Naruto hadn't turned around and Sakura hadn't moved from the bedroom doorway. Shikamaru could clearly see that Naruto's pupils were now thin slits, it was clear that Naruto was on edge. This situation was about to turn into something potentially bad, and Shikamaru knew it would be best if he made a hasty retreat. Confrontations weren't his thing let alone a confrontation that included a very upset Kyuubi. Before Shikamaru could make his escape he heard Sakura clear her throat.<p>

"This is really great news Naruto, Tsunade-sama has finally created a cure. Now we can share it with neighboring villages. All these months of waiting have finally come to an end, our plan worked," said Sakura.

"Please stop with the facade Sakura-chan, you aren't fooling anyone," muttered Naruto.

"Facade? Excuse me Naruto but I meant what I said. All of this is what we wanted. We're finally getting an upper hand on Sasuke-Kun's plan."

"You may be right about that Sakura-chan, but having you travel to Suna when you're this far along is not what I wanted! You'd be lying if you told me that you're happy with Baa-chan choosing you for this mission."

"I am not lying, I'm happy and honored to do this Naruto."

"Bullshit Sakura-chan."

"What makes you think that I'm lying? You may be able to feel people's intentions and feelings Naruto but in this case you're wrong. I know I can do this and I want to go. Don't you understand, there is so much at stake, we have to help Suna and Gaara-Sama."

Naruto swiftly turned around to face Sakura; he grabbed her by the shoulders firmly.

"You don't have to explain to me what's at stake here Sakura-chan!" Snapped Naruto.

"Then you understand why I have to do this right!?" Retorted Sakura.

"I'm not an idiot Sakura-chan, I know you have to go, but am I the only one that thinks that this is a mistake!?"

"A mistake, you think Tsunade-sama's choosing me was a mistake? I'm the only one who can do this!"

"But you're pregnant Sakura-chan, have you forgotten that!"

"No of course not but Shikamaru said that I'm the only one who can do this. Isn't that right Shikamaru," replied Sakura as she looked at the shadow shinobi. It was clear from her facial expression that she was begging for some sort of support from him.

"Look Sakura don't drag me into this," pleaded Shikamaru.

"But it's true isn't it, I'm the only medical shinobi available for this mission."

"Well yes you are but…"

"And do you agree with Tsunade-sama's decision on choosing me?"

"Well I…"

"Enough Sakura-chan!" Yelled Naruto as he tighten his grip on her small shoulders.

Sakura winced at the sound of Naruto's harsh tone. She quickly pulled her attention away from Shikamaru and back at Naruto. Shikamaru knew this was his chance to get out, without thinking twice he made a mad dash for the door. He opened it as quickly as possible and slammed it behind him. Once outside he leaned against the door; he let out a sigh of relief.

"Man why do I always get stuck with stuff like this. I can't stand being the bearer of bad news. Situations like this just plain suck, plus this had to happen on my day off. All of this is just beyond troublesome, sorry Naruto," whispered Shikamaru as he slowly walked away from the apartment.

The cold air blew gently as he approached the long flight of stairs leading to Naruto's apartment. Shikamaru sat down and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from one of the pockets on his vest. He placed one in his mouth and pulled out a sliver lighter from his pocket. Shikamaru had never really given up smoking. He found it to be relaxing and more often than not he found himself indulging in a smoke whenever he was under stress. Having a smoke every now and then took the edge off things; it really helped him clear his mind. However not everyone agreed with him, Ino wasn't very fond of it, but she never really told him to stop. Shikamaru lite the cigarette and inhaled the smoke deeply. He let it out slowly as he looked up at the overcast sky.

"Great just my luck, it looks like we have a storm coming and I don't have my rain coat with me," muttered Shikamaru as he took in another long drag from his cigarette. "Oh well I'll have to make a stop back to my place to pick it up, how troublesome."

Shikamaru sighed as he continued to admire the dark clouds from up above when he heard someone approaching him.

"You know Shikamaru I read that tobacco isn't good for your health."

Shikamaru held the smoke in his lungs for a more few seconds; he looked down at the person lecturing him. It was Sai and unlike Shikamaru he was dressed for the rain. Shikamaru relaxed as he let out the smoke nice and slow.

"Well Sai there are a great deal of things that people do that aren't good for them, but I think everything is alright in moderation, wouldn't you agree?"

"I supposed your statement does have some truth to it Shikamaru, but you should really think about this particular vice before if effects your health," warned Sai.

"I'll keep that in mind rest assured," replied Shikamaru as he continued to enjoy his cigarette.

"Good I'm glad you'll take my advice to heart, so then why don't you have a rain coat?"

"There was no sign of rain when I left home."

"Oh I see how unfortunate. So are you here to see Naruto-kun as well?" Asked Sai.

"Well yes and no, my reasons for visiting aren't personal," said Shikamaru. "What about you, why are you visiting him?"

"Well I wanted to make sure that everything was alright with Sakura-san. I heard from Ten Ten that she was discharged from the hospital earlier today. I wasn't even aware that she was admitted to begin with, so of course I wanted to check up on her. I've read that one must always visit their friends in their times of need, and Naruto-kun and Sakura-san are both my friends, not just teammates. So I wanted to make sure I did my duty as a good friend. Perhaps by doing so I can offer some help."

"Help huh…."

"Yes I can only imagine the stress that both my team mates have suffered."

"If only you knew," muttered Shikamaru.

Sai tilted his head; clearly he was confused by Shikamaru's whispered remark. Sai looked at Shikamaru as he sat there lazily on the apartment stairs. His demeanor was typical what with his slouched posture along with his dazed facial expressions, but there was something different, he looked worried.

"You looked troubled Shikamaru, is something wrong?" Asked Sai.

"Actually there is, it has to do with my reason for being here."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No there really isn't…..wait a minute actually there is a way you can help," said Shikamaru as his spirits lifted momentarily.

"Oh there is, please tell me how I can do so."

"Sure thing, sit down and make yourself comfortable," said Shikamaru as he moved to make more room for Sai. "We have a lot to discuss and we are extremely short on time."

"I see, are you sure I can help then?"

"Yes, I can assure you that you'll be able to help both Naruto and Sakura."

"Good, it looks like my visit was successful and I haven't even seen Naruto-kun or Sakura-san yet," said Sai politely.

* * *

><p>Sakura looked up at her husband, his eyes were still their normal cerulean blue but his pupils where thin slits. All of this was becoming too overwhelming for Naruto; he was reaching his breaking point. Sakura didn't say a word; she was still in shock from her husband's sudden outburst. She even went as far as to hold her own breathe. Naruto looked down at Sakura for a moment as if regretting his rough tone with her, however he quickly looked away. He let go of her shoulders and instead of saying anything to his wife he began pacing back and forth in the living room.<p>

Sakura remained perfectly still as she watched Naruto do his best to calm down. She herself was also riled up by everything. She was starting to realize that she was very confused about her own feelings. Quite honestly she didn't know how to feel at the moment now that she thought about it. It was true that this situation was just the beginning of more good news. They had waited so long to get the upper hand on Sasuke, but she was far from feeling overjoyed. She began to ask herself why she wasn't happy; it was then that doubt began to make its way into Sakura's mind. No matter how much she tried to think positively the lack of faith she had in herself kept settling in.

_Was it all a façade like Naruto said? Am I lying to him and myself when I said that I can do this?_

Sakura mentally asked herself if she had indeed lied and the more she thought about it the more she realized that she wasn't prepared at all to go on this mission. Naruto was right; everything she had said to him was far from the truth. Here she was well over 6 months pregnant and about to embark on a three day traveling trip to Suna. She and her unborn son could be walking straight into a trap, but to leave a large ally village like Suna without aid was suicide as well. It was then that she could no longer hold back the turbulent storm of emotions she was holding within. Tears began to make their way down her porcelain cheeks. She couldn't bear to look at Naruto and instead she turned away crying softy. Before she knew it she was sitting on the floor sobbing.

"Sakura-chan…"

Naruto slowly made his way towards Sakura. He knelt down beside her and before he could do anything Sakura lunged towards him wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Naruto's eyes widen from the sudden contact and soon his eyes began to go back to normal. His expression instantly softened as Sakura muffled her cries into his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to make you cry Sakura-chan, I shouldn't have been so rash with you, I'm sorry."

"No Naruto don't apologize, I should apologize to you. You were right, I was lying, I don't want to go. I haven't been on a mission in months and now out of nowhere I'm expected to take this mission on. I'm rusty, I haven't been training. What if we're attacked on our way there? I'm the medic I can't afford to get hurt. I'm expected to keep everyone safe including myself and our unborn son. What if I can't do this Naruto, what if I fail?" Sobbed Sakura.

"Sakura-chan never second guess your abilities. I know you'll be able to protect the team, yourself, and the baby, I don't doubt you for a second."

"You don't?"

"No of course not."

"Then why do you think it's a mistake for me to go then?"

"Because all I've ever wanted all my life was to have a family. Now I have it and the last thing I want is to have my family in jeopardy," said Naruto as he gently rubbed Sakura's belly. "I'm upset because I'm not in control of the situation. I can't take your place on this mission, hell I can't even go with you. Not knowing what's going to happen, not being able to be there to keep you both safe is why I think it's a mistake Sakura-chan."

"Naruto…"

"I'm sorry if I snapped at you, I should have thought about your feelings before I opened my big mouth. That last thing you need is too think that I don't have faith in you, but I do Sakura-chan." said Naruto as he buried his face in Sakura's lush pink hair. "I still don't agree with you going, but you have to."

"I know Naruto I wish you could go with me. It would make everything so much easier to handle."

"Well I may not be able to go with you but I can sure as hell make sure you're properly prepared," said Naruto as he reached into his knapsack. He pulled out a small scroll and handed to Sakura.

"Keep this close by at all times Sakura-chan," instructed Naruto.

"I understand completely," replied Sakura as she squeezed the scroll tightly.

Naruto then pulled her close for a tight embrace. The young couple held each other, neither one of them wanted to let the other go but a low rumbling in the distance caused them to end their tender moment.

"There's a storm coming," said Sakura.

"Yeah, we'd better start packing. It's best for you to head out before it starts to rain."

"Right," said Sakura weakly.

"Sakura-chan you can do this, I believe in you," said Naruto as he leaned in and kissed his wife tenderly.

"Thank you for believing in me Naruto."

Naruto smirked at Sakura, as he helped her back up on her feet.

"I love you Sakura-chan. You're an amazing kunoichi, don't you ever forget that."

Sakura nodded and made her way to their bedroom with Naruto right behind her.

* * *

><p>Lighting lite up the darkening sky and thunder bellowed all over Konoha. Everyone that was still on the streets of the village were hastily making their way towards shelter. Villagers looked up at the sky silently pleading Mother Nature to hold off the storm until they were safely indoors. However the foreboding storm clouds had no mercy on the frantic people below and the next thing they knew it began to pour. Some of the shops in the market place decided to close for the day while others chose to wait things out. They offered their shops and restaurants as shelter for those unfortunate individuals that hadn't found a place to wait out the storm.<p>

Those that hadn't found shelter were getting soaked and they ran towards any structure that would keep them dry. Some even gathered underneath Naruto's apartment building. Shikamaru watched as people frantically ran towards the building so that they could get out of the pouring rain. The air was now damp and the village was covered in a blanket of falling rain and haze. Shikamaru shivered, the weather had gotten far colder. He hoped Sai would hurry back with his rain coat.

A soft click caught Shikamaru's attention. It was Naruto's front door opening. Shikamaru waited patiently against the wall as Naruto and Sakura walked outside from their apartment. The young couple were both dressed in their long weather coats since the weather had turned for the worst. A thunderstorm wasn't the most pleasant weather to travel in but in this instance it was ideal. Sakura's rain attire was an excellent way to hide her pregnancy. Shikamaru watched as Naruto and Sakura approached him.

"Listen guys I'm sorry about all this, believe me this wasn't how I wanted to spend my day off."

"No need for apologizes you were only doing your job Shikamaru," replied Naruto.

"Naruto's right you have no reason to apologize Shikamaru. I on the other hand do, I'm sorry I tried dragging you into our little disagreement earlier. It was wrong of me to do so."

"It's alright it wasn't that big of a deal Sakura."

"Alright then we should really be heading out," Said Naruto.

"No wait we can't leave just yet."

"But didn't you say we were ready to leave as soon as I was ready?" Asked Sakura.

"Yes I did but we need to wait for Sai."

"Sai? Why do we have to wait for him?"

Before Shikamaru could explain Sai arrived; he was soaking wet.

"Here you go Shikamaru I got your rain coat and some other things Ino insisted you take," said Sai as he handed Shikamaru a scroll.

"Thanks Sai."

"So you just needed to wait for Sai so you could get stuff you forgot?"

"No not exactly Naruto. Sai did do me the favor of getting some things for me but he's also doing you two a favor as well."

"I don't understand," said Sakura.

"I'm adding Sai to our team."

"You're adding him to our team? How are you going to do that if he's already assigned to Naruto's?" asked Sakura. "Tsunade-sama won't even let Naruto go with us to Suna so I'm guessing those same rules pertain to anyone else that's on his team."

"That might be true but ask me if I care. Right now we need more advantages the disadvantages. Tsunade-sama might not be pleased with my choice but I know what I'm doing. If she wants this mission to go smoother we need Sai."

"How so Shikamaru?" Asked Naruto.

"Isn't it apparent? Sai's art jutsu's are a perfect means of transportation for Sakura. I was really worried about having to take a much slower pace what with Sakura's condition. However with Sai around she can easily travel on one of his creatures. This way we can travel much easier and stay on schedule. Plus Sai's gone on countless missions with Sakura-chan, they work well together. Having a teammate from team 7 can insure a higher successes rate since Sakura and Sai have that bond."

"Shikamaru you're brilliant!" Squeaked Sakura. "I was terrified about traveling, I didn't want to be a burden and slow everyone down. Now we can keep up the pace without me pushing myself too much."

"You never seized to amazing me Shikamaru," said Naruto. "Sai I know you'll take care of Sakura-chan for me."

"Of course Naruto-kun, as your friend you have my word."

"So who else is on your team?" Asked Naruto.

"Excluding Sai and myself I have Temari, Lee, and Hinata."

"Not bad, it looks like an overall balanced team."

"It is and rest assured Naruto were getting the job done no matter how troublesome it is."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle. Shikamaru had such a way with words. Sakura could see that just for an instant Naruto looked a little more relaxed. However his smile soon faded.

"Well we'd better be heading to Hokage Tower," said Naruto solemnly.

"Yeah let's hurry up and get this over with," muttered Shikamaru.

The group of shinobi looked at the scene before them; the storm had gotten worst. Lucky for them their destination was relatively close. Everyone braced themselves as they head towards Hokage Tower.

* * *

><p>Tsunade's office was dead quite, no one had said a word since they had arrived. She looked at the shinobi before her; it was an excellent team especially with Shikamaru's last minute edition. She silently prayed that everything worked out. She would never forgive herself if there were casualties. Her heart sank when that thought entered her mind.<p>

_Why does something like this have to happen today…_

Tsunade stopped herself from questioning herself any further. Instead she decided to stop procrastinating, the sooner they left the sooner they could come home.

"Shizune please get the herbs and protein base ready," instructed Tsunade.

"Yes ma'am."

Shizune quickly made her way over to a cabinet on the other side of the room. She opened one of the drawers and removed a leather bag. She then proceeded to fill it with numerous pouches and bottles. She then removed a slender vile from her sleeve; it was blue in color. She placed it into the bag along with a single scroll. Once everything was neatly packed she closed the bag and handed to Sakura.

"It should really be that's going, but I could be a liability and not even know it," said Shizune.

"It's alright Shizune-san you had no choice in this matter, don't feel bad," assured Sakura as she held the bag close to her chest.

Shizune smiled weakly as she made her way back to Tsunade's side.

"Now Sakura there is no time for me to go over the preparation for the cure so I've written down the steps for you, they can be found in the bag along with the protein base which is a deep blue liquid. You can also find some of the ingredients needed in the bag as well. I would have sent you off with everything but for safety measures I decided to send you with only half of what's needed. Even though Suna has a harsh climate its green house is abundant with the herbs you are lacking. You'll be able to find everything there. Now the scroll that holds the instructions is sealed and only your specific chakra signature can open it. This way if for whatever reason you lose the scroll the possibility of its contents being read by enemy eyes is impossible."

"Understood Shisho."

"That protein base will be able to make a large amount of antidotes so make sure you leave whatever is left over in the hands of the medics in Suna."

"Of course."

"So you really did create something that will work right?" Asked Naruto.

"Yes the synthesized protein I created can disrupt the chakra shell just like we planned. However something else occurred, something I didn't expect."

"What do you mean, is something wrong?"

"No Naruto, rest assured the protein works exceptionally, but what I wasn't planning was for it to also weaken the chakra walls that are protecting the virus."

"What does that mean?"

"This protein truly is a cure."

"How is that even possible? The virus is a jutsu and without Sasuke-kun a cure is impossible."

"Well I did just that, I did take into consideration that this virus is a jutsu. So when I started the creation process of this new protein I fused it with some of my chakra as well. I thought that perhaps by doing this both chakra's would become frazzled and unstable. I knew that my attempts were more than ambitious since I've never dealt with anything like this before. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that my idea worked. The mutation caused by my chakra has enabled our protein to slowly damage the chakra shells frequency which in turn is slowly destroying it. So the jutsu that's protecting the virus can now be dispelled on its own."

"We wouldn't need Sasuke to release the jutsu," said Naruto.

"Exactly we can destroy the virus without him. However capturing him is still top priority Naruto. You'll be back on the hunt for him as soon as Karin is ready to talk."

"Understood Baa-chan, so how long did it take for you to notice that the chakra walls were weakening?"

"About three weeks."

"Has everyone here in Konoha already received treatment?"

"Yes."

"So we need to wait at least three weeks to see these same results in neighboring villages."

"Correct, I will have everyone here at home that has received treatment checked out to see if the chakra walls are weakening."

"I see, so has Gaara really been infected?" Said Naruto.

"Yes but it hasn't been officially confirmed, to do so could spell disaster for Suna. Having their Kazekage out of commission puts them at great risk, plus they're desperately low on shinobi's as it is. If they were attacked the village would surely be taken over," replied Tsunade.

"This could really impair us as well, what with Suna being our closets alley. Losing them leaves Konoha vulnerable, you do realize that all of this is a trap right Baa-chan?"

"Of course I do, but we have no choice but to go. Every mission has its risks, not taking this one would be a critical mistake."

"Tsunade-sama is right, Sasuke has really been doing his homework. Whichever way you look at our current situation it spells disaster. If we don't help Suna they can potential fall to an invasion leaving us open for an attack. However if we send help we risk possibly being attacked ourselves. Not to mention that Sakura's pregnancy would no longer be a secret. If Sasuke were to find out about her condition he could use her as bait, or worse," said Shikamaru.

"Nothing like that is going to happen. I would never let anything happen to Sakura-san!" Proclaimed Lee.

"I know Lee I'm confident that all of you will do your jobs, I have the upmost faith in you all. Now please listen carefully. Like Naruto pointed out this is most likely a setup. Sasuke knew that if we were able to find some sort of way to disrupt his plan that we would most defiantly share it with our neighboring allies. So you must all be highly cautious especially since it has been verified that Sasuke had several creatures resembling Zetsu near our borders."

"What, how can that be possible?! I made sure my team checked our borders when we were coming home," said Naruto.

"I know Naruto and you did an excellent job but like I said he had them here, currently there aren't any of those creatures anywhere near Konoha. However this morning it was confirmed that they were here at one point. I had Kakashi and his team of ninken look the area over. I also sent some Hyuga and Inuzuka clan members to patrol the area as well. Each one of the ninken was given a sample of flesh from Zetsu that we had acquired during the war. I wanted to study it further so I had this sample preserved. Sure enough with the samples help the ninken were able to pick up on some very light signature marks in numerous areas. The scents aren't fresh though. According to Kakashi and the Inuzuka clan members the scent is probably a few weeks old. None of the Hyuga's saw any sign of them either."

"So Sasuke recalled them," whispered Naruto.

"It seems so, however who knows what type of information those things could have gathered when they were here," said Tsunade.

"They could very well know that Tsunade-sama was working on a cure," said Sai.

"You're right, travelling back home must be done extremely carefully," said Temari.

"Yeah I told you this wasn't going to be a walk in the park," replied Shikamaru.

"I didn't know you encountered those things on your mission Naruto," said Sakura.

"Yeah well I've only been home a day, I haven't had a chance to really talk to you about my mission Sakura-chan."

"I know everything is happening so fast."

"I can't believe that Sasuke was able to have spies so close. How could I have let something like this happen! All of this could have been prevented if I would have just noticed those things sooner. Why didn't I spot them when I was doing border patrol!?"

"You know that's impossible Naruto-kun, you can't sense those things."

"Sai is right Naruto, this isn't your fault. All that matters is that they aren't here anymore," said Sakura.

"Look everyone I wasn't expecting for this mission to be so sensitive. I am sorry that things have become complicated for obvious reasons," said Temari as she looked at Sakura's belly. "However my brother and village really need your help."

"Temari is right Naruto. I know that the circumstances regarding Sakura's condition aren't ideal for this mission, but she has to go."

"You don't have to tell me the reasons why she has to go, I'm very well aware of them," muttered Naruto.

"Good, then there really isn't a reason for you all too still be here. You're all dismissed, be safe, and hurry back soon," said Tsunade.

"Of course Tsunade-sama I'll see to it that this mission is a success," said Shikamaru.

"I have faith in you all, now you better be heading out."

"Right."

Shikamaru made his way out with his team right behind him. They all headed out of the fifth Hokages office and into the blistering rain.

* * *

><p>Naruto held Sakura close, saying goodbye was harder then he originally thought. He deeply inhaled her sweet scent; he couldn't believe she was going. Both he and Sakura were drenched at they clung to each other in the relentless thunderstorm. After a few silent moments Naruto finally let Sakura go, he could see that her face was wet from crying, not from the falling rain.<p>

"Sakura-chan you'll see me soon I promise," said Naruto as he wiped the fresh tears from her face.

"I know Naruto it's just that I'm so worried. I know I shouldn't be but there is so much resting on my shoulders right now. I'm not strong like you, I'm not sure I can do this."

"No Sakura-chan don't think that way, please. You're much stronger then you think, don't ever doubt yourself. Just focus on doing your best. I know you and I both aren't happy about you having to leave, but remember you aren't doing this along. You have your teammates too. I know you trust our friends just as much as I do."

"Of course I do," said Sakura as she acknowledged her friends behind her.

"I know you'll all take care of Sakura-chan for me."

"You know we won't let any harm come to her Naruto-kun," said Sai

"Yeah I got this Naruto you just focus at the task at hand you have when it comes to Karin," said Shikamaru."

"You're right we all have things we need to focus on and complete. I'll do my part, I will find Sasuke this time."

"I know you will Naruto please be safe," said Sakura as she kissed Naruto lightly on the lips.

"Of course Sakura-chan. You two be safe too," said Naruto as he gently rubbed Sakura belly.

"We'll be just fine," said Sakura.

She smiled at Naruto as she walked away from him. She waved goodbye to her husband as she approached Lee who promptly scooped her up in her arms. Travelling via Sai's creations wasn't possible at the moment due to the heavy rain. Sakura held onto Lee's neck and the next thing Naruto knew they were all gone. He stayed there silently as the rain continued to fall.

**I can't believe you let her go Naruto, we can't keep her and our pup safe now.**

I had no choice you know that.

**Keh that's a lie, you always have a choice. **

Perhaps but what's done is done. Besides she'll be alright, she's with my friends.

**Well I don't trust your friends with such an important task such as this.**

Well I do Kyuubi, I do.

* * *

><p>The air was crisp and cool; most of the villages' inhabitants were sound asleep. The rain had finally stopped but the sky was still filled with dark looming clouds. Deep rumbling thunder bellowed in the distance. A late night storm was probably brewing. Kakashi was finally making his way home; it had been a very long day. He made his way towards his apartment when something in the distant caught his eye, it was Tsunade and she was seated on the rooftop of Hokage Tower. This spot was usually frequented by the copy shinobi himself, so seeing someone else up there was unusual.<p>

"It's late, what in the world is she doing outside?" Murmured Kakashi.

He quickly changed his course and headed towards Hokage Tower; a small detour would be harmless. As Kakashi drew closer Tsunade's reasons for being on the roof were apparent. She was seated on the floor with nothing but a sake bottle as company. Kakashi landed a few feet away from the Fifth Hokage. At first she said nothing; she simply drank her cup of sake in silence. It was clear that she had been doing some major drinking. Her porcelain face was rosy and her movements weren't very uncoordinated.

"What do you want Kakashi?"

"I just wanted to make sure everything was alright. I would have thought you'd be home by this hour Tsunade-sama."

"Don't tell me you're going to lecture me. Did Shizune send you to babysit me?"

"No of course not who said I was here to lecture you? I just wanted to make sure you're alright. Seeing you out here at this hour alone isn't like you."

"Today was just an exhausting day that's all Kakashi. I just wanted time to relax and think."

"And you can't relax with Shizune nearby?"

"You know how she is, she isn't fond of my way of relaxing," mumbled Tsunade as she took another swig of sake. "She's been on my case all day. I know her intentions are good but she was just smothering me. Honestly I know what it's like to be under stress. Sometimes she treats me like I'm some feeble old woman."

"I'm sure Shizune just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I know she did, but I am alright."

"Are you sure about that," said Kakashi as he pointed to two empty bottles of sake near Tsunade's feet.

Tsunade frowned as she huffed in frustration; she quickly finished her cup of sake. She didn't respond and Kakashi could see that perhaps his presence was only making things worse.

"I see, well Tsunade-sama I'm sorry for disturbing you, I'll leave you be," said Kakashi as he turned around to leave.

"No Kakashi please stay and keep me company. I thought all I wanted was peace so that I could think, but now that I got what I wanted I regret it. I don't want to be left alone with my thoughts."

"So you're missing Shizune's nagging?"

"Now that's going too far," said Tsunade as she grabbed her last sake bottle.

Kakashi paused for a moment all of this was very odd. He couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into. Tsunade looked back at Kakashi and frowned.

"Kakashi don't make my request and order," scolded Tsunade.

Kakashi straighten up and made his way towards busty Hokage. He sat down next to her as she filled her cup with sake. Once the cup was filled to the brim she handed it to the silver haired jounin.

"Here now drink up, it's been forever since I've had a drinking buddy. And don't pull that I'm being mysterious gag with you mask, I know what's under there."

Kakashi chuckled softly, he looked at the cup of sake he held and looked back at Tsunade. She stared back at him, it was apparent she wasn't joking, Tsunade meant business. Kakashi gulped nervously; he hesitated a little. He had grown so accustomed to being so secretive about his face. However he could sense Tsunade watching him, perhaps taking this detour wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Hurry up and drink Kakashi, you don't want the sake to get cold."

"Yes of course," stuttered Kakashi.

He slowly pulled down his mask and took a drink from his cup. Tsunade smirked as she brought out another sake cup from behind her.

"You know I've never quite understood why you hide your face. It's not like your disfigured or anything Kakashi, on the contrary you're quite handsome."

"I'm flattered Tsunade-sama, really."

"I'm serious though Kakashi what's the point of hiding."

"Well I've been doing it for so many years now. I guess I do it out of habit."

"Why did you even start covering your face in the first place?"

"I was hiding."

"Hiding from what?"

"From my identity."

"You mean from being the White Fangs son?"

"Yes but that was a long time ago, it seems so trivial now all these years later. I've made peace with my father, my reason for hiding doesn't exists anymore."

"Then why are you still covering your face?"

"Because I just can't bring myself to stop wearing it I guess. I mean it makes me look pretty cool don't you think," chuckled Kakashi.

"Oh god Kakashi you're something else."

"I'll take that as a compliment Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi as he took another drink. "So I know you said you were up here to think, but we all know there's more to it than that."

"….."

"I don't need to use my Sharingan to see that you're hiding something from me."

"Please Kakashi, don't."

"Tsunade-sama please, I see it only fitting since you convinced me to take off my mask."

"Fine what is it that you want to know?"

"I already told you, I want to know why you're really out here."

Tsunade looked into her sake cup and sighed.

"I haven't had much time to collect my emotions, today was just a sensitive day."

"You mean Jiraiya-sama's birthday."

"Yes, even though that crazy old pervert is gone he's still causing me trouble. I guess my heart hasn't recovered yet, I never thought I'd miss him so much."

"Tsunade-sama…"

"Jiraiya was always doing what he could to spend time with me. No matter how hard I'd beat him he'd never stop his advances, his attempts never faltered. I couldn't stand the attention he gave me at the time, now I've come to miss it terribly. Even though he was such a lecher he was my teammate, and friend. I didn't see him for many years after I left Konoha. However each year without fault I would have a drink or two on his birthday. That's why I'm here," said Tsunade as she peered into her sake cup.

Her voice was beginning to become a bit shaky. Her body also began to slightly tremble. It was clear that slowly Tsunade was losing her composer.

"If only that old fool would have just taken the job as Hokage he would still be here. Instead he had to find me to take his place. What made him think that I would be a better candidate them him? I was never suited for this. I've failed so far as Hokage."

"What in the world would make you say that?"

"I couldn't save Jiraiya Kakashi, I couldn't help maintain the peace he so desperately wanted for our world. Then to make matters worse I couldn't even allow Naruto to go with Sakura out to Suna. Instead he'll remain here while she leaves in her condition. I swear I will never forgive myself if anything happened to Sakura," cried Tsunade.

Tears began to trickle down her face; her attempts to hold them back were futile. Her cup of sake caught some of her falling tears as she sobbed softly. Kakashi froze he wasn't sure exactly what to do let alone what to say. His heart began to race; he couldn't believe what he had gotten himself into. Tsunade's soft cries flooded his ears; he never thought he'd bear witness to such a thing. Suddenly he felt something on his shoulder, it was Tsunade, and she was resting her head on him. Kakashi relaxed a little, he knew what Tsunade was feeling. He too had dealt with similar feelings in the past.

"Tsunade-sama, I know what it's like to be unable to save those we love. The feeling we're left with can slowly consume us, that is if we allow it too. As shinobi we are destined to have such hardships. It doesn't make things any easier but it's a reality we must all accept. You know this more than anyone Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi.

"….."

"Tsunade-sama?"

Kakashi looked to his side, Tsunade's body was still. Her arms slowly fells to her sides and her cup of sake fell to the floor. Kakashi quickly caught her and before he could panic any further he heard her softly snoring. She had passed out from all the drinking. The wind began to pick up rapidly and the thunder that had been far in the distance was beginning to get closer. Tiny beads of rain made their way to the roof top of Hokage Tower. Kakashi finished what was left of his drink and covered his face once more. He then picked Tsunade up and held her in his arms. He looked down at her, she was completely out. Kakashi couldn't believe how much sorrow she was still carrying with her. All the events that were going on were slowly crushing her. Hopefully now that she had spoken to someone she would be in better spirits. At least Kakashi hoped she would remember their conversation. The sliver haired Jounin sighed as he decided were to take Tsunade. He knew if she was awake she'd insist on him to take her home. However she had way too much to drink. Leaving her home by herself wouldn't be wise. Kakashi groaned, he knew exactly where he had to take her.

"Shizune isn't going to be happy about this," muttered Kakashi as he leapt off the roof and into the night.

* * *

><p>Her head was throbbing and her entire body felt as though it weighted a ton. She was so tired, all she wanted to do was to drift back to sleep. However everything she was feeling was keeping her from falling back into a deep slumber. Her entire body ached and throbbed, even breathing was painful. Her mind was also very foggy. Attempting to recall who she was or where she was made her head reel in pain. She tried her best to relax. Perhaps the best thing to do was to take things slow. So instead of trying to figure out what had happened to her she tried to open her eyes. At least this way she could see where she was. However as much as she tried she couldn't open them. Her eye lids felt as if they were made of lead. Finally after a few more attempts she was able to muster the strength to open them. As soon as she did she quickly shut them close. The light that was above her hurt her vision, her eyes felt as if they were on fire. She tried once more to open them, only this time she did it with more care. It took a few minutes for her vision to work properly once more.<p>

The light above her wasn't as bright as it was before, something or someone rather was blocking it. She strained her eyes to better focus on what she was seeing. Her heart skipped a beat; a pair of intense blue eyes were looking right at her. She was startled but she couldn't look away from them; their color was so vivid and sharp.

"You're finally awake."

The sound of the stranger's voice jolted her mind. Visions began to unravel in her subconscious and in a matter of seconds everything came flooding back to her memory. She remembered her terrifying ordeal, she knew who she was and furthermore she knew who had hurt her so badly. She looked at the person in front of her and smiled, he was just the man she needed at that very moment.

"Uzumaki Naruto you're a sigh for sore eyes."

"Where is Sasuke Karin? I need to know where he is."

Karin's face went pale; that's right he had done this to her, Sasuke. Her heart raced as she remembered doing her best to flee from his hideout. As she fled she was convinced that he was just letting her get a head start. She felt that he was following her the whole time she struggled to get away. Karin was so afraid that Sasuke would finish her off right when she thought she was free from his grasp. She shivered at the thought; she really thought she was going to die out there.

"Karin please you have to tell me where he is," pleaded Naruto.

Karin snapped out of her trance. She looked right at Naruto. He was leaning on her bed, he looked tired.

"Karin…"

"I thought I was going die. I'm still having a hard time remembering.."

"Please Karin you have to remember where Sasuke is."

"Typical Naruto you can't even wait for me to finish my sentence. I was going to say that I was having a hard time remembering all the little details, but I do know where Sasuke is."

"You do?"

"Of course I do Naruto and I will be more than happy then to tell you."

* * *

><p>To those of you that still follow my story I cannot express how sorry I am for the wait on this chapter. My last update was in May so all of you have waited 5 months for chapter 23. Time for me has flown because I have been so terribly busy. My second son was born in June and he is now 4 months old. He's a sweet heart and a wonderful baby, but a baby still the same, he needs me 247 I also work from home and to top things off my husband found work in another town. I have been alone all October. So I will be a single mom until my hubby is able to get us a place to stay so we can all be a family again. Right now he is living out of our car. My life is beyond hectic and upside down so doing anything for fun like writing and drawing is very hard to do, so this chapter really suffered. Plus it didn't help that I myself had forgotten what had happened in the last chapter. Again I'm sorry, I will not stop this story, it will be finished. I'm just in overdrive mommy mode right now since there is no one to help me take care of my kiddos. I hope the wait for this chapter was worth the wait ^^; I'm already working on chapter 24, I'm taking advantage that I'm in writing mode right now. Thank you for following my story everyone I appreciate it.

Oh and if you want to follow updates on the story follow me on tumblr or deviantart

Kit


	24. Chapter 24 :Secrets in the shadows

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO**

* * *

><p>Naruto was speechless, had he just heard Karin correctly? His facial expression must have been a cross between surprised and stunned because Karin looked at him puzzled. She slowly sat up in bed due to still being very stiff and sore. She tried her best to get as comfortable as possible and once she did she studied Naruto's face; he looked like he was in shock.<p>

"Naruto?"

"You really know where he is Karin?"

"Yes….I had to know since I was….his informant."

Naruto couldn't believe it; Karin really knew where Sasuke was. He was finally making some progress. His breathing began to quicken as nervous excitement coursed through his veins. Suddenly realization hit Naruto hard; his palms became sweaty and he began to feel light headed. His knees began to quiver and shake and the next thing Naruto knew he landed roughly into the chair that he had pulled next to Karin's bed. His body felt numb and time itself seemed to stay still. Karin silently looked on as Naruto took in her words.

"You know I've been waiting a while for you to wake up so that I could ask you what you knew about Sasuke. However I didn't think I would be so caught off guard when I got the answer I was looking for," said Naruto in a shaky voice.

"You've been waiting for a while? Exactly how long is a while?"

"Two days."

"You've been here with me for two days?"

"Well yeah I currently have lots of time on my hands since I can't leave the village."

"What? I don't understand, why can't you leave?"

"That isn't important right now Karin. What is important is that you tell me where Sasuke is."

"Right, he's at the far corners of Kumogakure Naruto, high up in the mountains. In that mountainous region lays a large waterfall, behind it is a cave that holds a never ending labyrinth. There are so many tunnels one could take, the choices are endless."

"He never left Kumogakure like we originally thought."

"No he didn't, he's been there the entire time, right under the Raikage's nose."

"But how the hell can that be, there was supposed to be an extensive search of Kumogakure!"

"Yes I'm very well aware that the Raikage had all his available shinobi search his land, but there was no way in hell they were ever going to find Sasuke."

"And why is that?"

"Well for starters the area where the waterfall is located is in a very remote portion of Kumogakure. There is no real reason why any common individual would travel that far into the forest, and even if someone did find the falls it would be futile to look behind it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well if some commoner or shinobi stumbled behind the falls they would most defiantly see the cave. However once they ventured inside their fate would be sealed. Sasuke has placed a genjutsu on the cave's entrance. One must perform a certain releasing hand signal before entering. If not the labyrinth that lies inside the cave will go on forever and you will never find your way out."

"But if that's true wouldn't someone hear people calling for help? The echo from within a cave can be pretty loud."

"No the roar of the waterfall makes it impossible to hear anything coming from inside the cave. The rushing water muffles any cries for help coming from behind the falls."

Naruto felt a tug in his chest; what unimaginable things had Sasuke been doing?

"What the hell did he do to you Karin?"

"He used me as always, at least this time I learned my lesson. I was finally able to see what he really is, a monster."

"…"

"I was always a valued object to him Naruto, just like I was to Orochimaru. Sasuke needed me not only for intelligence gathering but also to be a part of Kabuto's experiments."

"Experiments?"

"Yes experiments. I'm an Uzumaki just like you Naruto, our chakra is special."

Naruto's eyes widen, Karin was an Uzumaki just like him?

"You're an Uzumaki?"

"Yes but just by half, my mother was an Uzumaki."

"My mother was an Uzumaki too," whispered Naruto as images of his mother Kushina began to come to him.

He cherished the precious moments he had with her while training. He could still see her perfectly in his mind's eye. He could easily recall her memorable smile and her extremely long vivid red hair. Suddenly Naruto noticed something about Karin that had no significance before, her deep red hair; it was just like his mothers.

"Your hair…"

"What about it?"

"It's red like my mom's was."

"Well yeah red hair is just one of the traits Uzumaki's have, but I can tell you that Sasuke didn't need me for my hair. No he needed me for another trait that runs strong in our clan, our chakra.

"My mom told me a little about my heritage but honestly I'm not very good at remembering tiny details so could you please explain?"

"I figured I'd have too," sighed Karin. "Look Naruto our clan was revered for its member's long life's spans and endless amounts of chakra. Those two things combined with being masters of sealing jutsu's made the Uzumaki clan one to be reckoned with. Over the years their home village was destroyed out of fear, and what survivors were left spread around the world. So it's safe to say that we are truly rare individuals Naruto."

Karin's last comment sent shivers down Naruto's spine. Uzumaki's are truly rare individuals, that phrase kept playing over and over again in his mind. The palms of his hands were sweating, and the hairs on his neck stood on end. He and Karin weren't the only Uzumaki's in Konoha, his unborn son was the newest edition.

"I really do hope you're able to protect the ones you love Naruto because having Sasuke use your loved ones as pawns against is horrible."

"How would you know," muttered Naruto.

"Because Sasuke used my family to get me to work for him again."

"What?"

"He tricked and used me…"

"But I thought you didn't have anyone," said Naruto.

Karin sighed heavily.

"Sorry I didn't mean to be so blunt."

"No it's alright Naruto. I know you were intentionally being rude," said Karin as she pressed the wrinkles out of the hospitals sheets that covered her lower half. "Now listen closely because I think it's high time you learn what's been going on in the shadows Naruto."

Naruto gulped nervously as he intently listened to Karin's every word.

"When I was first captured by your team I never thought that I would come to love your village, but I did. Tsunade pardoned me from actual prison time because of my cooperation in revealing everything I knew about Sasuke. She had mercy on me and because of that I was allowed to live among the villagers. However I wasn't allowed to leave Konoha and I lost my shinobi status, but despite those two minor exceptions I felt like I belonged. I was freer here in your home village Naruto then I ever have been in my existence. For most of my life someone has always controlled or used me. I really thought I was going to have the opportunity to start my life all over again. However that opportunity was taken….by him. He threatened me from the very beginning Naruto, you have to believe me."

"I believe you Karin rest assured, but how did he even get to you?"

"Simple Sasuke came to Konoha looking for me."

"What!? Why didn't I sense him!"

"Simple he chose a day when you were off on a mission. Oh and don't worry he never actually entered the village. He was waiting for me in outside Konoha's borders."

"So you left the village to search for him?"

"Well I had no choice Naruto."

"But I thought you were kept under close eye."

"Well in all honestly I had a good amount of freedom. I think Tsunade really trusted me, so all the verbal warnings that they we're keeping an eye on me were just empty threats. Besides just because I was stripped of my shinobi title doesn't mean I forgot how to be one. So it isn't surprising that I was able to sneak my way pass those on border patrol with ease."

"Nice, but I still don't understand how you knew Sasuke was near Konoha."

Karin rolled her eyes, this guy was truly impossible sometimes. It was a mind blowing how powerful yet how clueless he was.

"Have you already forgotten that I'm a sensory type shinobi Naruto? I can sense chakras."

"So you felt him?"

"Sure did that's why I left. I had to know what he was doing snooping around the village. Sure enough I found him and he wasted no time revealing to me how he planned to destroy his former home. He told me it was only possible with my help and that if I didn't corporate he was going to kill my parents."

"So that's how he used your family against you, but I thought you had no one."

"I thought so too Naruto. You see my home village fell victim to war. I was told my parents died along with the rest of the villagers, but I never knew for sure since I never saw their bodies. Orochimaru found me hiding in the woods that were next to my home. He asked me how it was possible that I was alive when everyone else had perished. I was extremely young and it was hard for me to explain. All I knew is that I felt a large group of bad people. I could sense their hostility and it scared me to death so naturally I ran as fast as I could into the safety of the woods. Those shinobi I sensed ultimately destroyed my home. After hearing my story Orochimaru decided to take me with him. After all I was a prize that just couldn't be left behind. I was just a little girl Naruto I didn't know any better, but my parents never perished like I was lead to believe. I knew Sasuke was telling the truth, he isn't the type to bluff. I just had to make sure they wouldn't get hurt especially on my behalf. I couldn't bear to lose my parents all over again, so I agreed to help him."

"…."

"I know what you're thinking, I should've said something. But I was just so shocked to hear about my parents that I wasn't thinking straight. Learning that they had been alive this whole time left me feeling confused. I started to wonder how different my life who had been if I was never separated from them."

"Karin…"

"It's alright Naruto, you'll be happy to know that I gave Sasuke's hell when I was working for him. I always gave inaccurate information when I reported my findings," said Karin as a devious smile spread across her face. However that expression didn't last long, it was obvious that some not so fond memories were coming to her.

"It was tuff though, I didn't want his plans to succeed because I didn't want my new home to be destroyed, but at the same time I didn't want Sasuke to hurt my parents. I was trapped Naruto he had me right where he wanted me."

"It's alright Karin don't beat yourself up. Everything you did really helped us out, believe me."

"I'm glad I was able to do something. The entire time I worked for him my thoughts were on my reasons for doing so. At first I was concerned with my parent's safety but afterwards I asked myself how they would feel if they knew I was helping someone as horrible as Sasuke. It was then that I knew I couldn't help him destroy my new home. After a while he grew tired of my games, and that's when he handed me over to Kabuto. Heaven knows what happened to my parents."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that Karin, truly I am," said Naruto as he got to his feet.

"Wait there's more you need to know."

"What is it?"

"I know how the virus works Naruto."

"You know how it works?!"

Karin slowly nodded her head; she was starting to look extremely tired.

"What do you know about the virus Naruto?"

"I know that it's actually a jutsu infused with a virus strain. I also know it was created by Kabuto, but we were never able to figure out what it actually does to its victim."

"The virus is the key to making sure Sasuke's plan to destroy Konoha is fulfilled. He needed my chakra to help him created the shell that protects the virus. His chakra alone wasn't strong enough to do it. Once he had me his plan for his new weapon was complete. That virus is what will destroy Konoha and all the other shinobi villages."

"What the hell does it do Karin?"

"The virus eats away at the healthy cells in the host's body. Once it does the cells go into shock and ultimately shut down. All that's needed for this process to happen is for Sasuke to release the jutsu that protects the virus. Once he does that the effects happen in a matter of minutes."

"I'm not sure I understand, what do you mean by effects?"

"The infected person's body shuts down meaning they will collapse and go unconscious. If left in that state for too long the cells die, as will the victim."

"Shit."

"You got that right, if he's successful hundreds of infected shinobi will be rendered useless and with that many of them down Sasuke will be able to simply stroll through any villages front gates."

"You're right the village will be out numbered."

"Exactly, when I left Sasuke's hideout they were in the process of starting the next phase in his plan."

"Which is?"

"He's planning to go to other villages to release the jutsu that protects the virus. He wants to see if it works properly before he attacks Konoha. If his attack is successful he will conquer that village."

"That can't be I have to stop him before he does that!"

"I'm sorry Naruto but you're time is up. I wish I was able to have given you this information much sooner but obviously I wasn't able to do so."

"You did what you could Karin, and believe me you've done more then you'll ever know, but do you at least know which village he's attacking first?"

"Isn't it obvious Naruto? He's going to attack the village that is already insanely defenseless. The village that your dear friend Gaara resides in."

"No not Suna…"

"Precisely, Suna was hit heavily with infected. They are incredibly vulnerable at the moment."

Naruto stiffened; Sasuke was heading right for Sakura. He gulped nervously at the thought of his next question.

"Does Sasuke know Sakura-chan is pregnant?"

"From what I know he doesn't."

"Are you sure?"

"Well you see I personally never shared that information with him. However I'm not sure if the other spies he had in the area learned about her condition and told him. So I'm sorry but I can't say that I'm absolutely sure that he's in the dark when it comes to her pregnancy. However I wouldn't worry Naruto, if Sasuke did in fact know about Sakura I can assure you that he would have acted by now."

"…"

"But hey all you have to do is to make sure Sakura is safe," assured Karin. "Keeping her in the village should be a simple enough task."

"That's easier said than done," muttered Naruto.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Asked Karin.

"Sakura-chan left for Suna."

"What? When did she leave?"

"Two days ago."

"So you've been here since Sakura left Konoha?"

"Yes…"

"Oh my god Naruto your little wife couldn't have chosen a worse time to go on a peace corp mission," replied Karin as she rubbed her temples softly. "It's imperative that Sasuke never finds out about your unborn child. If he did that would be another Uzumaki he could use, or exterminate."

Naruto clenched his fists tightly, the thought of Sasuke getting anywhere near Sakura and his unborn son made his blood boil. His lips curled upwards giving Karin a clear view of his canines. A deep growl was building up in his throat.

"There is no way in hell I would ever let him anywhere near my family!" Spat Naruto.

He quickly rose from his seat in anger and made his way towards the small hospital room's window. Karin instinctively tried to get out of bed but was stopped by the immense throbbing that radiated through her entire body. She winced in pain, but through her half closed eyes she could see Naruto almost fully out of the window.

"Now just wait a goddamn minute Naruto! Where in the hell do you think you're going?!" Snapped Karin.

"Where do you fucking think!?"

"Are you insane you can't go to Suna!" That's a three day trip! Even Sakura isn't there yet. Besides you would never make it in time, and you leaving would make Konoha vulnerable as well. Abandoning the village for your pointless rescue mission isn't a good idea."

Naruto froze; he was stuck here in Konoha. Karin was right, even though he wanted to say screw it and leave at this very moment pursuing Sakura was pointless. Naruto could feel the Kyuubi's anger from deep within him. He had to clear his head so he could think things through before he went and did something stupid. Naruto slowly stepped out of the open window; a cool breeze entered the room and Karin shivered.

"Wait you're still leaving?"

"Yes, but don't worry I'm not leaving Konoha," said Naruto calmly.

Karin could see that something had changed in him. She knew that letting Naruto go was the best thing she could do, he needed to think things through.

"I see, well can you at least use the front door then? Why do you have to go all mysterious like this?"

"I like this way better," replied Naruto.

"God you're unbelievable!" Huffed Karin as she crossed her arms.

Naruto turned around to look at her; he gave her a weak smile as he made his way out into the night. Karin took in a deep breathe; his gaze was so piercing and intense. A slight blush crossed her cheeks; she felt so vulnerable when Naruto looked at her that way. She shook her head doing her best to banish the girlish feelings that had overcome her. She regained her composer and stared at her open window; he was gone. The hospital currents danced lightly due to the wind from outside. Karin's demeanor soften, all her worries and frustrations with Naruto drifted away. Perhaps the breeze entering her room was responsible. She sighed heavily.

"That Naruto can be such a fool sometimes….but….aside from that I know he can do this. At least he'd better because if not all my fears will once again become reality. Only this time the entire world will share my suffering."

* * *

><p>The night air was cool and crisp; a light mist was present due to the constant showers that blanketed Konoha. Naruto traveled silently; it was apparent his mind was elsewhere.<p>

"**We should just use a summon to find our mate. You are very well capable of having one of your toad summons track her down and teleport you to her location instantly."**

"Yeah you're right but if I did that I would leave Konoha vulnerable. Besides I can't just be Sakura-chan's body guard following her around all over the place you know."

"**We most certainly can, that's our mate and pup you're talking about!"**

"I know that and believe me it sounds ideal but the most I could do is warn her and her team. Then after that I'd still have to come back to Konoha."

"**Why do you insist on coming back here Naruto!? A village is a village! It can be rebuilt if it is attacked."**

"To a certain extent it can! Buildings are one thing but you can't replace innocent casualties. It's my duty along with every other shinobi here to protect the villagers."

"**So villager's lives are more important than our family! You need to abandoned you're virtuous habits Naruto and get the hell out of Konoha! You know something is going on, you can't tell me you haven't felt something. It is imperative that we reunite with our mate as soon as possible! Danger is too close for comfort!"**

"God you aren't helping me out here you know that!" Snapped Naruto as he quickened his pace. "I want nothing more than to do just that, but I can't. Sasuke could very well have his men attack Konoha if I leave. You have to remember that I have a responsibility to this village and to my team. I just can't leave for my own selfish reasons!"

"**You're a fool Naruto!"**

"Sakura-chan would want me to stay. She'd understand what's at stake here!"

"**So you're going to ignore the fact that you're feeling something right now? Honestly boy I don't think you see the severity of things," growled the Kyuubi.**

"And I don't think you do."

"…**."**

"Look I just need to think of a plan alright. Besides I have faith in my friends and Sakura-chan. They'll be fine."

"**You say that but you aren't thinking that Naruto. You can lie to yourself but remember you can't lie to me," murmured the Kyuubi.**

Its deep foreboding voice began to trail off into the recesses of Naruto's mind, and in a few moments time Naruto was left alone with his thoughts. He sighed heavily, the Kyuubi was right; there was doubt in his heart. Doubt that Sasuke would ultimately succeed in crippling the great shinobi nations. Doubt that he would find Sakura and her precious secret. Doubt that he would lose his wife, son, and friends all because he hadn't stopped Sasuke in time. Naruto felt absolutely torn and confused.

He continued to dwell on his thoughts and by the time he got home he all but almost collapsed onto his bed. He rolled over and looked at the ceiling. It was dark in his room; he hadn't even bothered to turn on the light. His apartment was silent; there wasn't anyone home to greet him. He sighed and after much reluctance he dragged himself out of bed and towards the restroom. He had been by Karin's bed side for two whole days; he really needed to take a shower.

He got undressed and stepped into the running shower. The warm water hitting his cold tired body was so soothing. He placed both his hands against the slick shower wall. He let his head hang low as he looked down at the water being sucked down the drain. He started at it for a moment but he looked away when he started to get a little dizzy. He ran his fingers through his wet hair as he tilted his face towards the shower head and closed his eyes. Naruto then began to get the tedious task of getting clean out of the way and in a few minutes time he was done. Part of him was tempted to stay in the shower a little longer, but he was growing tired of his thoughts running wild. So he turned off the water and slowly stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way towards his room when something made him stop. The atmosphere had change and Naruto quickly went into alert mode. What in the world was it that he was feeling? It wasn't someone's intentions nor was there immediate danger, or was there? Naruto shook his head in an attempt to get a better sense of his current situation, something was definitely off. Suddenly he felt a familiar chakra quickly approaching his apartment. He quickly made his way to the front door and opened it before his guest was even able to knock on the door.

He reached out of the open door and grabbed Ino by the arm. He pulled her towards him and swiftly closed the door. Ino was surprised to say the least as she was yanked quickly inside. Her cool body was tightly pressed against Naruto's warm wet bare chest. She froze when she realized he was wet and basically naked. Her face became flushed and her breathing quickened.

"Shhh, don't say anything," whispered Naruto.

Ino held her breath in anticipation; she wasn't quite sure what was going on but there was one thing she was definitely sure of, Naruto was serious. Sure enough she could feel Naruto looking from side to side, as if he was looking for someone hiding in the shadows. His grip on her was firm but not aggressive; on the contrary she could tell that he was protecting her from some unseen enemy. After a few awkward moments of silence Naruto let her go. She heard him walk to the kitchen; he turned on the light and made his way back to her.

"What happened is everything alright?"

"Yes everything is alright Naruto," squeaked Ino.

The shaky high pitch tone of her voice made her wince. She promptly cleared her throat.

"So why are you showing up at my place at 3am?" Asked Naruto.

"I'm not sure really," answered Ino reluctantly.

Now that Naruto had her on the spot her reason for being at his place at this hour sounded childish.

"I just had a weird feeling, that's all."

"You had a weird feeling?" Asked Naruto, he was obviously confused.

"Well yeah I can't explain it really. The best way to describe it is, women's intuition I guess?"

"Women's intuition huh," replied Naruto.

"Well yeah, I just felt a little off tonight. I couldn't sleep. The more I dwelled on how I felt the more I wanted to be with someone. I felt really vulnerable so I grabbed a few things and headed here. I figured I could stay with you until Shikamaru gets back."

"I see, said Naruto as he looked Ino over.

She was wearing a thin jacket and flannel pants. A large overnight bag was hanging off her shoulder. She really had just left her place to come here. Naruto relax somewhat but not completely, this lingering feeling was still on his mind.

"Look Naruto I know my reasons for being here are kinda silly now that I think about it, I'm so embarrassed," admitted Ino.

"No your reasons aren't silly at all Ino. Go ahead and make yourself at home, I need to get dressed," said Naruto as he went into his room closing the door behind him.

Ino made her way to the couch and sat down. She placed her night bag next to her and opened it. She removed her light jacket which revealed that she was wearing a thin black tank top underneath. No matter the weather Ino liked to keep her nightwear light and simple. She placed her jacket into her night bag. Shortly afterwards she heard Naruto open the door to his room, he came out wearing a black shirt and grey sweat pants. He made his way towards Ino and sat next to her.

"So can I ask you something?"

"Umm sure, what is it?"

"You said you had a weird feeling, did you feel like you were in danger?"

"Yes and no, it was strange. At first I thought I was having a premonition or something but after thinking things through I decided that I was just being paranoid."

"Well I can tell you for sure that you aren't being paranoid. I got that same feeling too, that's why I pulled you in like I did."

"So what are you trying to tell me?"

"That you and I both actually felt something. It's weird though I can't tell exactly what I'm picking up on."

"You mean you're still feeling it right now?"

"Yeah but it's faint and fuzzy, if that makes any sense at all."

"No it makes sense Naruto, but what does this all mean?"

"It means someone or something is coming."

"What should we do?"

"We need to let as many people know about this. I'll head over to Baa-chan's and you head for the main gates. Border patrol needs to know about this."

"Alright then," said Ino as she reached into bag for her jacket.

Suddenly an eerie silence filled the room. Naruto instantly felt something fast approaching but it was too late to apprehend it. He barely even had enough time to push Ino out of the way. He dived towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist. A loud crash encompassed the room and dust mixed with bits of rubble cluttered the floor. Naruto and Ino skidded across the living room floor and into the kitchen. They crashed into the dining table and chairs. The furniture alone wasn't enough to stop them from sliding; that is until Ino felt them quickly come to a halt as Naruto's back crashed into the refrigerator. She felt him tighten his grip on her as he shielded her from falling plaster. Ino opened her eyes but she was unable to see anything. All she could make out was the dust that was still settling from the collision. The kitchen light flicked on and off, and water leaking from the pipes spilled all over the floor. Naruto pulled himself and Ino upright when suddenly a blood cruelty hiss came from in front of them. Whatever had come crashing through Naruto's apartment wall was just feet away. Ino felt Naruto release her and the next thing she knew he charged into the cloud of dust.

"Son of a bitch!" Roared Naruto.

A loud bam was heard and all the dust and debris in the room was blown away; Naruto's fist had made contact with the thing in his apartment. The impact from his punch was beyond powerful as its force alone sent the unknown intruder through his living room wall and straight through his bedroom wall as well. Ino covered her head and curled up into a fetal position as chunks of rubble flew by her. She could hear Naruto intensely fighting as she shut her eyes tightly. After a few moments she cautiously sat up and looked around what was left of Naruto's apartment, it was totaled. Ino frantically looked for her night bag. Its contents not only had her clothing it in but also her shinobi gear. She sprinted for what was left of the living room; she quickly overturned the couch and sure enough her night bag was there. She opened it and found her gear knapsack; without thinking twice she strapped it onto her right thigh and made a mad dash for Naruto's bedroom.

She could see a gaping hole right where Naruto's balcony use to be. She carefully approached the edge and looked down below. Naruto had rammed the creature into a vacant building that was directly across from his apartment complex. Ino couldn't make anything out from where she was at so she sent chakra to her feet and ran down the side of the apartment building. She reached the entrance that had been created by Naruto just moments before; the rustle of concerned villagers caught her attention. She looked below her to catch a quick glimpse on what was developing. Occupants from Naruto's complex gathered outside trying to figure out what was happening. Some of them looked up and saw Ino; their whispers became louder as they pointed at her. She did her best to silently assure them; she didn't want to make any noise since that creature was still close by. Suddenly Ino saw ANBU members along with other shinobi quickly passing by. Most were above her while others ran in the streets. She looked on as several of them went in different directions. The shattering sound of buildings being destroyed and screams could be heard in the distance. The situation was getting worse.

Ino continued to watch the current events in front of her unfold when a quick movement from her left caught her attention. Without hesitation she jumped off the buildings side wall and into the vacant room. It didn't take long for her to find Naruto, and when she did she couldn't believe her eyes. Naruto was literally fighting a monster. It was at least 7 feet tall with pale hairless skin. Its limbs were long and dangly. A misshapen mouth awkwardly framed its face and a pair of pupil less yellow eyes glared at Naruto. The strange creature mindlessly swayed its disproportioned body from side to side as Naruto stood in front of it waiting for it to make a move. Suddenly it launched its awkward body at Naruto and in an attempt to grab him it swiftly swung its limbs at the blonde shinobi. Its movements were unnatural and unpredictable; its elongated arms swayed carelessly, as if they had had no bones beneath its pale skin. Ino wondered if perhaps Naruto had broken them but the more she saw it fight the more she realized it was meant to move that way.

Naruto charged the lumbering beast and collided into its stomach at full force. However the creature was prepared this time and it dug the claws on its feet into the floor boards stopping Naruto from pushing it into another room. It learned over him and opened its mouth which revealed a row of misaligned razor sharp teeth. Drool dripped onto Naruto's hair and the rampaging beast bit him right in the neck. Ino couldn't believe it and in a fit of rage she ran towards the nightmarish monster, but before she could attack she saw Naruto vanish into a cloud of smoke. It had been a shadow clone all along.

"Senjutsu Rasengan!" Yelled Naruto as he suddenly appeared from a dark corner.

Two powerful spinning rasengan's made contact with the creature's lower abdomen. It screamed in pain as Naruto's attack literally tore it apart. Naruto pushed with all his strength and his opponent was sent spirally out of control. It violently went through several walls until it fell a good 15 stories down to its demise. Naruto knew his attack spelled the end for his uninvited guest. He spit some blood from his mouth and quickly made his way over to Ino.

"There are more of them," panted Naruto. "We need to find them."

Ino looked over at him; he looked tired and he was in Sage mode. Things were obviously serious if he had used Sage mode.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so tired?"

"I haven't slept for more than 2 days now. This is the last thing I'd expect to happen, but that's not important. What is important is that we find the rest of these things."

"Well I saw several ANBU and other shinobi head off in different directions early. I don't know if you heard but attacks around the village have been going on while you've been fighting."

"Shit, we need to move," said Naruto as he ran towards the massive hole that lead outside.

"What's the closest spot you saw them head?"

"They were heading in the direction of front gates."

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Six clones appeared next to Naruto.

"Spread out across the village. Make sure each one of these things is exterminate. Don't try and read its moves, it's a waste of time, just focus on beating it as quickly as possible."

Naruto's clones nodded their heads and without saying a word they leaped out of the building. Each one ran towards a different direction. Just as soon as they had vanished Naruto turned around and looked at Ino.

"We're heading for the front gates."

"Right," said Ino as she followed Naruto.

They both jumped out of the wrecked room and onto a neighboring building. The mangled remains of the creature were resting in a large crater on the floor; its body was still twitching.

"Is that thing what we felt coming? Asked Ino as she did her best to keep up with Naruto.

"Yeah but this thing is just like the white Zetsu's, it's just a mindless clones. That's why I couldn't sense it until it was too late. It's hard to pick up on something that has no thoughts or emotions, but while I was fighting that thing I did feel something."

"What?"

"I felt someone's ill intent towards me, I felt them indulging in my pain when that thing bite my clone."

"So you think someone's controlling these things?"

"Yes and they're in the village at this very moment."

"What! How can that be?!"

"I'm not entirely sure but I do know that they are indeed here. Now pick up the pace Ino we don't have much time. We need to find out whose controlling these things so we can stop them!"

"Right!"

Naruto and Ino headed for the front gates and as soon as they arrived they were faced with one of their friends fighting one of the creatures. Without haste both Naruto and Ino quickly went to the aid of their friend. Tenten's hair was loose; a rare sight in itself and her Chinese style pajamas were torn in several places. She swiftly dodged an attack and with a smooth fluid motion she opened a page from the enormous scroll she carried on her back. A plume of smoke appeared and from it a shower storm of explosive kunai emerged. Each kunai hits target and when the explosive tags disintegrated the blast from the explosion was ear piercing. Ten Ten braced herself for the concussion; fresh blood ran down her right temple. The creature hissed as it was blown backwards into a bakery store.

"Tenten are you alright?" Asked Naruto.

"Yeah it's just a scratch," replied Tenten, as she wiped the blood from her face. "But I won't lie it's nice to have some back up."

"Aren't their ANBU here?" Asked Ino as she looked around.

"Not anymore there aren't. I heard a commotion and when I came out of my house I saw several ANBU passing by. I geared up as fast as I could so that I could follow them but before I could leave this thing literally came up from underneath the ground! Do you have any clue what the hell it is!?"

"No not exactly but I do know that they're strong. Now get ready its getting up," warned Naruto.

The sound of crushing wood came from what was left of the little bakery store. The grotesque beast stumbled from the wreckage. Smoke from the explosive kunai was still coming off its body. It shook its head in frustration and roared at the three young shinobi that stood before it.

"You stay here and provide cover fire Tenten. Ino I want you to take out its arms and legs, I'll do the rest," said Naruto as he charged towards his opponent.

"Alright just hurry up and kill that thing!" Yelled Ino.

She inhaled deeply and spat out numerous medical needles from her mouth. Each needle fiercely pieced the monsters hide; it winched in pain as the sharp needles went through its appendages. Its legs began to shake and its arms began to quiver as the poison from the medical needles seeped into its veins. Naruto took advantage of its current state and ran towards it at full pace. He kept on running and at first glance it seemed as if he was going to run into it when at the last moment he skid against the floor aiming his feet towards its legs. He hit them at full force causing the creature to ultimetly lose its balanced. It hit the floor with a booming crash. It desperately tried to get back on its feet but before it could an onslaught of weapons pieced its body.

"Go for it Naruto!" Yelled Tenten.

The creatures yellow eyes widen and it quickly looked over at where Naruto was. It watched as the blonde haired shinobi smirked at it before he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"Rasengan!" Screamed Naruto from up above.

The whirling ball of chakra hit his opponents belly with tremendous force. Pieces of its flesh few in every direction as Naruto's attack bore into its stomach. Its agonizing howls escaped its throat, as it was literally disemboweled. Tenten and Ino ran over towards Naruto. He was leering at the creature as it was dying at his feet.

"Oh my god," whispered Ino.

"Are there more of these things?" Asked Tenten.

"My clones have taken care of all them, there were five in total, including this one."

"Are you sure that's all of them?"

"No but there is one thing I am sure of."

"What's that?"

"I know who's behind all of this, and that bitch is going to pay," growled Naruto.

He took off in a flash leaving Ino and Tenten confused and concerned.

"Come on let's go!" Yelled Ino as she went after Naruto.

He was clearly faster than the two kunoichi but they could still see which way he was going. He was headed towards Konoha's dungeon.

"Did I hear him correctly?" Asked Tenten.

"Yeah you did, he knows whose controlling these things, and obviously it's a woman."

"Well who is it?"

"I have no idea," said Ino.

"So what the hell are we doing let's hurry up and try to catch up to Naruto. I'm curious to know who the hell ruined my beauty sleep!"

* * *

><p>All was still, silent, and pitch black as Hinata slowly walked the perimeter of their campsite. Her sharp pale lavender eyes caught the tiniest detail in the shadows of the night. She could clearly see that there was no sign of intruders. She deactivated her Byakugan after surveying the area once more for good measure. She quietly approached the rest of her teammates who were all seated around the soft glow of a campfire. It was early morning, maybe 3am and they had finally settled to get some rest. Everyone could relax a little now that Hinata had finished securing the area. Shikamaru and Sai were on guard duty; everyone else was getting some much needed sleep. Sakura of course was the only one that would get to sleep the most. Getting special attention was still foreign to her. She wasn't very happy about being set apart from everyone else. Sakura pulled her blanket closer to her body as she watched Hinata approach Shikamaru.<p>

"Everything is clear Shikamaru-san."

"Good let's all try and get some sleep aright. We're extremely close to our destination so were moving out bright and early."

"Yes of course Shikamaru-san the brighter the better," said Lee enthusiastically.

"You really are something else," murmured Temari as she set her giant fan down.

"I agree with Lee-san, leaving as early as possible will ensure we reach Suna as soon as possible," said Sai.

"I know that pasty boy," snapped Temari. "I'm just flabbergasted at his enthusiasm."

"His enthusiasm is his normal behavior," sighed Shikamaru as he sat next to Temari.

He rubbed the sides of his temples as Lee began preaching about the glory of youth and why it was part of shinobi way. Sakura smiled as she watched her friends be carefree, even if it was just for a moment. Hinata settled down next to her and looked her over. The shy Hyuga cleared her throat in an attempt to get Sakura's attention. Sakura's ears picked up the soft sound coming from Hinata, she turned around and smiled.

"Um…how are you holding up Sakura-san?"

"Alright I supposed."

"Is there anything you need?"

"Peace of mind," sighed Sakura.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh it's nothing, I'm sorry Hinata."

"Oh please don't apologize," said Hinata quickly.

"No I should be apologizing, not just to you but to everyone. I know I haven't been the best company these past few days."

"Oh no Sakura-san you haven't been a bother at all, really."

"No I know everyone has been walking on egg shells when they're around me."

"…"

"It's just that everything happened so fast and my instincts to worry for myself and child ended up backfiring on me."

"You're blaming yourself for your natural feelings?"

"Yes."

"But why Sakura-san?"

"Because there are so many lives at stake and I automatically thought of myself when I was told I had to accept this mission. I've been on auto pilot the entire time. Following the orders that were given to me, traveling this entire time without saying much, I even went as far as to assure Naruto that I would be fine. He knew I was lying, I'm sure if it, but he let me go without much of a fight."

"Sakura-san there isn't any reason why you should be doing this to yourself, especially right now."

"I know but I all I can do is think of all the reasons why I should be doing this," sighed Sakura.

"Do you really?"

"…"

"Sakura-san being a mother comes first before being a shinobi, and that's what you are now, a mother."

"Hinata…"

"You have so much riding on your shoulders right now. With that said I think you're more than entitled to have the feelings you just described. It's natural, and if I was you I would be more concerned if I hadn't thought about the safety of myself and unborn child first. I think your feelings were your way of being a good mother. So please Sakura-san, don't beat yourself up, it isn't necessary."

"…."

"Naruto-kun wouldn't be very happy if he knew you were doing this to yourself. You're everything to him Sakura-san. He loves you with all that he is."

Sakura turned to face Hinata who was looking down at her hands as she fidgeted nervously. Clearly she was doing whatever she could to avoid making eye contact. Her nervous demeanor made Sakura realize something, not once had either one of them ever talked about the love they both have for Naruto. Hinata had always kept her feelings to herself, and when she spoke to Sakura Naruto was never the subject. Besides everyone, including Sakura, knew that Hinata had a huge crush on him. It was apparent to everyone from the very start; despite Hinata's attempts to keep her feelings secret. However Naruto never saw Hinata in a romantic way and Naruto's thick headed nature didn't help things either. He had completely overlooked the fact that Hinata had told him she loved him. Just like Naruto had over looked Sakura's attempted confession; given Sakura knew she had confessed for the wrong reason. Naruto had argued with her for obvious reasons but he never confronted her again on her feelings for him. Instead he took matters into his own hands and boldly kissed Sakura when they met in the aftermath of the war, and without even thinking Sakura kissed him back.

"You know that Naruto-kun has faith in you, don't you?" Asked Hinata.

"Of course I do, but I'm afraid that I don't have enough faith in myself. So many lives are at stake and even though I've handle delicate situations before I'm afraid that this is far bigger than I originally thought. Some things different."

"Sasuke-kun is what makes it different."

Sakura inhaled deeply; she held her breath for a few seconds and with controlled release she exhaled.

"You're right, he does make everything different."

"I can't even begin to understand how hard things have been for you and Naruto-kun when it comes to him. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to lose a team member."

"It's a horrible feeling, and what's worse is that we lost him through his own selfish demise."

"The situation you and Naruto-kun are in isn't a pleasant one, but I can assure you that you both will pull through it."

"You're right Hinata and I need to remember that Naruto is going through this with me. Sometimes my guilt over my past feelings for Sasuke-kun blinds me from seeing the man I love by my side. I mustn't forget that with Naruto anything is possible."

"Exactly Sakura-san you and Naruto-kun will do this," said Hinata sweetly.

"Thank you Hinata, for everything."

"You're welcome Sakura-san. It's the least I can do."

Both girls exchanged smiles but before they could say anything more Temari slumped down on her sleeping bag which was in between the both of them.

"Nara and Sai are on guard duty tonight so I'm going to bed," yawned Temari. "You better do the same preggers."

"Sleep sounds amazing right now," said Sakura as she stretched.

Her little talk with Hinata had actually done far more then she would have ever thought. She felt the best she had the entire trip. A good night's sleep would ensure that she would arrive at Suna in even better spirits; and with her newfound faith she would help save them from uncertainty. Sakura nestled down into her sleeping bag and got comfortable. She sighed softly while rubbing her belly.

"Don't you worry Sakura you'll be back in Konoha next to your Romeo sooner then you know," said Temari as she covered herself with her sleeping bag.

"Yeah you're right Temari, agreed Sakura as she yawned.

She closed her eyes and relaxed. The familiar noises of the forest were all she heard and after just a few moments of silence Sakura's thoughts began to wander as sleep began to consume her. Visions of Naruto, their new apartment, and the birth of their child flooded her mind. Sakura couldn't wait to be back home so that she could be in Naruto's arms again. Just that thought alone made her feel wonderful. Her last thought had to do with whether Naruto was thinking about her at this very moment as well. She decided that boredom had forced him to fall asleep much earlier in the day. There was no way he'd be awake right now, her poor Naruto was stuck at home sound asleep, and that's the last image she had in her head because after that last thought Sakura fell asleep. Unfortunately for her she couldn't be me wrong about her Naruto.

* * *

><p>Hello to all my readers, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and once again I apologize for the wait. I had a review that stated that while my story is great the updates aren't frequent enough and because of that it's easy to forget what happened in the last chapter. That right there is the last thing I want. I want my readers to keep the story fresh in their minds and I know that in order for that to happen I need to update more. Believe me I try, I try so very hard, but being a mother of two really makes writing difficult. My oldest just turned 3 and he's a handful alone, but now we add his little brother (9 months) who's crawling now and I don't even have time to sit down ^^' I'm a mother full time every day, no days off, and I'm a wife who needs to keep this house running and my husband happy. Now my hubby does help but he works 12hr days. When he gets home he watches the kids so that I can do what house work I couldn't do early in the day, and to cook dinner. After that we eat, have family time, and then he goes to bed. I stay up to bathe the boys and put them to bed. So I have no time for myself or my hobbies, which are drawing and writing.<p>

When I do write I have to juggle my kids, so a paragraph or two could take hours to a day, and I'm not kidding. Then I sometimes decided to change things up so something that took me weeks to write can be rewritten all over again. If you think that takes time imagine the spell checking. Trying to go over chapter that is over 8k long can take weeks. I'm constantly getting interrupted by my kiddos so I lose my place all the time and I get frustrated since it takes so long to make progress. So sorry to those of you that don't like reading fanfics with some typos in them, I do what I can. So yeah everything that goes into writing takes forever, and for that I apologize, but I'm a very busy mommy. So in order to make things better I'm asking for your help. What do you all want from me, more updates that will be much much shorter, or do you not care to wait for my long chapters? Keep in mind I personally don't like writing short chapters, but that's just me. Also if the chapters are shorter this story will take twice as long if not more to finish. I won't shorten what I have in mind. So please comment and tell me what you all want, I really value what you all have to say. Thank you for reading and putting up with my moments of disappearing.

*Edit* 3/22/13 So I just got this urge to write and I'm on fire! As a result chp 25 is closer then you all may think. I'm going to be going over previous chapter to fix them up as well. Also I'm changing my poll, its been the same for the longest time. You can vote when it comes to how often I update.

Kat


	25. Chapter 25: Meltdown

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO.**

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><p>Naruto stormed into the entrance of Konoha's dungeon. A night guard stood in front of the gates that lead to the dungeons down below; Naruto quickly approached him.<p>

"What are you doing here at this hour Naruto?"

"Get out of my way!" Snapped Naruto as he roughly pushed the guard aside.

"Hey just what the hell do you think you're doing Naruto?! In order to have access to the prisoners you need clearance from the Hokage!"

"I don't have time for your stupid protocol!" Snarled Naruto.

He grabbed the gates that blocked his way and ripped them clear off the stone they were embedded in. Ino and Tenten arrived to see the guard pressed up against the wall in fear.

"I'm putting an end to this now," said Naruto as he made his way down the fleet of stairs.

The guard mustered some courage and began to protest.

"Uhh just let him pass ok, his reasons are valid," said Tenten as she pulled the guard towards her and Ino.

"Naruto," whispered Ino.

"What in the world is the meaning of this?" Asked the guard in a shaky voice.

"Look I don't know if you're aware of this but all hell's broken lose in the village," answered Tenten.

"I had no idea anything was wrong, I haven't been notified of any danger."

"You haven't heard anything?" Asked Ino.

"No I haven't, the location of the Konoha dungeon is a lot further from the village than most people think. It's really desolate out here, we don't see much action."

"Well I'm sure that's all about to change," said Ino as she looked outside.

It was true that the area they were in was on the outskirts of the village. She could barely see the bright glow of the fires in certain parts of the village. However not a sound could be heard, and she knew that there was a for sure uproar going on right now in Konoha.

"Tenten you stay here with Naruto. I'm going to make sure that Tsunade-sama knows what information we have."

"Alright Ino just be careful."

"I will, and please try and keep Naruto cool. If the person that's responsible for all of this is down there we need her alive."

"Right I'll do my best to keep Naruto in line," said Tenten as she made her way down stairs.

She stopped and looked back at the bewildered guard.

"I would call for back up if I were you."

The nervous guard nodded his head. He watched quietly as Tenten disappeared down the dark tunnel.

* * *

><p>Tenten descended down the never ending staircase. It was cool, dark, and damp; the entire dungeon smelt like earth. Tenten really had to squint her eyes to make out where she was going. For a few minutes she didn't hear anything, just a few muffled coughs from the prisoners she was passing by. Part of her started to get worried that she had lost Naruto, but she soon caught a glimpse of him up ahead. Tenten quickly sprinted towards him. She reached his side and watched as he looked at all the numerous cells. He was clearly looking for the culprit. He looked around their surroundings and after smelling the damp air he snorted.<p>

"She's not on this level, but she's further down below. Stay close to me and when we find her stay behind me."

"If those are your instructions for me she really must be powerful then."

"She most definitely is," said Naruto as he led the way down another row of stairs.

Both he and Tenten traveled for a good 10 minutes. By the time they reached their destination the atmosphere had changed. Tenten noticed that the air was much heavier; it was a little difficult to breathe. She shrugged it off and followed Naruto as he went down a dark corridor which led to a vast array of hallways. Various paper binding seals adorned the slick walls that surrounded them and after traveling within the twists and turns of the inner workings of the dungeon they found her. There sitting down in a meditation pose in her cell was Fuyu, the Taijutsu master. Her legs were crossed and her back was facing them.

"So you really are smarter then you look Naruto."

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't strangle you right now Fuyu," snarled Naruto.

"Oh is that what you're into Naruto? That sounds so twisted, I like twisted," cooed Fuyu as she turned around. She stood up and walked towards her prison bars. Her features were hidden in the shadows, all you could make out were her vivid yellow eyes. She finally reached the front of her cell and the dim dungeon light reviled her face.

"It's you," whispered Tenten.

Fuyu looked over Naruto's shoulder, she saw Tenten behind him. Fuyu deviously smiled as she looked at both her unexpected guests.

"I see you brought a date with you to this cheery reunion Naruto. So you're into brunettes now?" Asked Fuyu as she looked at Tenten. What happened to that little cherry blossom of yours? Did you get tired of her or was she just not satisfying you?"

Tenten clenched her fists and stormed towards Fuyu's cell.

"Hey lady just who the hell do you think you are!"

"Ah you got yourself a feisty one I see," leered Fuyu. "I bet that's why you're screwing her, am I right Naruto?"

Tenten blushed profusely; her blood was beginning to boil and for a second she was afraid that she would be responsible for ending this women's life, not Naruto. Before Tenten could make a move Naruto's arm pulled her back behind him; she reluctantly obeyed.

"I'm not here to play your games Fuyu, I'm here for answers. If you value your life you'll cooperate with me."

"I just love the sound of your voice. You sound so authoritative Naruto, just like Sasuke."

"Don't you dare compare me to him," snapped Naruto.

"Oh I'm sorry did I hit a nerve?"

"Shut it!"

"Alright tiger no need to shout," replied Fuyu seductively. "What is it you want to know?"

"What the hell just happened right now?! What the hell were those things?!"

"Oh you mean my pets?"

"Pets?"

"They're harmless Naruto, they were only following my orders you know. Don't be so harsh to judge them especially when they were just obeying their master."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Kabuto gave them to me, so in theory they're just not my pets but my children."

"You're children?"

"Yes they're called seibutsu and technically they are my biological children. Kabuto was kind enough to create them using some of my DNA. He combined them with the white Zetsu's and in doing so something miraculous was created. My little ones can move effortlessly through the ground just like their father, but they are flesh and blood just like myself."

"That explains why they came up from the ground," whispered Tenten.

"How the hell did this happen?! How is it that you were able to summon them here?"

"I didn't summon them they've been incubating in the soil this whole time."

"Incubating?"

"Yes when I first arrive to Konoha I made sure to plant their seeds all over numerous spots in the village. Once that was done all I had to do was wait."

"…."

"Don't you get it Naruto? I was meant to be caught. My actual mission was to let you capture me so that I could be inside Konoha. I'd be able to control my precious little minions with ease."

"It was all a set up…."

"You got that right my handsome little fox and you fell for it," laughed Fuyu.

"You really have a death wish don't you," growled Naruto.

Fuyu reached her hand outside her cell and grabbed the rim of Naruto's pants. She then roughly yanked his lower half towards her. His crotch and hips roughly hit the steel bars that imprisoned the beautiful Taijutsu master.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Naruto," cooed Fuyu."

Naruto lost it, and the next thing he knew Fuyu's delicate neck was in his grasp. At first she clawed at his vice like grip but after a few moments she gave in and instead of fighting she smiled at Naruto. Raged built up inside him as he snarled at the women he held. Tenten quickly grabbed Naruto's black shirt in an attempt to stop him; she pulled at the fabric of his shirt roughly.

"Naruto stop we need her!" Pleaded Tenten.

Suddenly the ground underneath their feet began to shake and both Naruto and Tenten fought to keep their balance. The floor began to crack in various places and Naruto dropped Fuyu so that he could keep himself and Tenten from falling into the depths of the dungeon floors. Long arms began to pop out from the crumbling ground and without notice the cool slate from underneath them gave way. Fuyu laughed hysterically as her beloved children rose from the Earth. Naruto leaped a few feet back with Tenten right behind him when suddenly a clammy hand grabbed Tenten's ankle and pulled her back down. With a vice like grip her ankle was crushed. Tenten instantly tried to yank herself free but the Seibutsu held on. Pain pulsated through her ankle as her fragile bones were crushed. Tenten slammed her good foot in the seibutsu's face and pushed herself as much as she could from it. The seibutsu cried in pain and let the young kunoichi go. Tenten closed her eyes as she anticipated hitting the ground but instead she hit something other than the floor. She opened her eyes to see Naruto holding her; he had caught her before her impact with the ground.

Naruto landed on a section of the floor that was untouched. He glared at Fuyu with ill intent. He wished his anger alone could stop her, but sadly that wasn't possible. Suddenly a sizzling noise filled the room and Naruto watched as the paper seals meant to keep prisoners in their cells disintegrated. The cell bars that kept Fuyu imprisoned began to rust and in a few seconds they turned to dust. Fuyu kissed her hand and blew a kiss in Naruto's direction.

"Well what are you waiting for, aren't you going to kill me Naruto?"

Naruto was furious to say the least, this women really was crazy, and powerful as well. He turned around and walked as far as he could from her cell without losing sight of her. He bent down and gently set Tenten on the damp dungeon floor.

"Just take it easy alright. I'll take care of this."

"Naruto wait," pleaded Tenten.

"Don't worry I won't kill her," whispered Naruto as he made his way back to Fuyu.

"So are you ready to get this over with now that your little china doll is safe?"

"Shut your mouth for once and show me what you got!"

Fuyu laughed maniacally and pointed a slender finger at Naruto.

"Destroy him!"

Naruto dashed towards Fuyu, but the two creatures that appeared from the ground intercepted him. Tenten watched as Naruto fought both seibutsu's alone. He was in Sage mode, but Tenten could tell that he was growing tired, and fighting alone wasn't going to help. She looked down at her ankle, she winced at its appearance; it was starting to swell rapidity. Tenten leaned up against the cool wall and took a deep breath. After a few moments of preparation she dragged herself further from the fray. She stopped once she was able to turn a corner. She heard Naruto fighting and she could tell that he was wining because Fuyu's laughing had turned into angry scolding. She was upset that her two pets weren't able to destroy Naruto.

Still Tenten knew she needed to be out there helping Naruto so she relaxed and began the task of controlling her breathing. She did her best to tune out the battle that was taking place just a few feet behind her; she needed just a few moments time. Tenten reached her desired level of relaxation and without haste she focused on her damaged ankle. She envisioned white healing light encompassing her broken bones. She felt warmth all over her ankle as it began to throb. Not from pain though, no this was different. Tenten was far from being a medic but what she was doing wasn't actual healing to begin with. No she had picked up this life saving technique from Lee. It was a meditation technique he had created in order to deal with his pain. Needless to say he was a master of it, and its creations was the answer to why he could fight for so long even when he was critically injured. Tenten had asked him to show her and for months Lee took her out every evening they had free to his favorite training spot to practice.

Tenten loved those times, she loved having a new challenge to overcome, and spending extra time with Lee was always nice. She really wished he was here right now; they could really use his help. Tenten shook her head and got back on track on meditating, she wasn't like Lee yet. He was able to get the effects right away without having to mediate; Tenten on the other hand still needed at least five minutes to get it to work. She could already feel it taking effect and she knew that she was almost ready to fight. The technique didn't heal injuries but it instead allowed the persons using it to put their pain in the farthest regions of their mind. Tenten suddenly opened her eyes, the technique was complete and she needed to move fast. She quickly grabbed a tiny scroll from her knapsack and rolled it on the ground. In a matter of seconds her wooden bow staff appeared in cloud of smoke. Tenten grabbed it and used to hoist herself from the ground. She felt very little pain and in flash she set off to help Naruto.

Tenten turned the corner and saw that Naruto had already killed the one of the seibutsu, all he had was one left to eliminate. Fuyu had lost her composer; she was screaming endless orders at the losing beast. Tenten took advantage and made a mad dash for the unsuspecting women. On her way there she dropped several tiny paper bomb shaped like lanterns. They littered the floor outside of Fuyu's cell. Tenten ran along the side of the prison wall and jumped at Fuyu while swinging her bow. Fuyu looked over to her right but it was too late to dodge Tenten's attack. The young kunoichi's bow staff smacked Fuyu right across the face. The force from the attack sent her flying across her cell room. Fuyu violently hit the wall with a booming crash. She quickly looked up to see who had hit her. She was beyond pissed to see that it was indeed Tenten.

"What's the matter Fuyu? Don't you have anything witty to say? Asked Tenten.

"You little bitch just who do you think you are?!" Yelled Fuyu as she held her face.

"I'm the person that's going to further ruin that pretty little face of yours," replied Tenten.

Fuyu's body trembled with anger; her left cheek was throbbing from the attack and fresh blood oozed from the corner of her mouth. She licked her lips and picked herself up from the floor.

"I hope you understand the severity of your predicament little girl because Naruto isn't going to save you this time!" Screamed Fuyu.

She opened her hand and the rust from her prison bars began to collect and spin in her palm. More and more particles gathered and together they formed a perfect sword. Fuyu grasped her newly created weapon and dashed towards Tenten. She jumped up into the air and brought her sword high above her head. With immense force she slammed it down at Tenten who dodge the attack with several back flips. The ground under the swords cracked and broke in several places. Fuyu quickly went on the offense again and sent an onslaught of rapid swipes from her blade. Tenten dodge each attack with grace and ended her many evasions with a back flip that made her do the splits when she touched the ground. She quickly brought her bow staff above her head and blocked Fuyu's blade in mid attack. The block was successful but unfortunately Fuyu's blade began to break through Tenten's wooden bow. Tenten quickly got back on her feet and pushed her bow against Fuyu's blade. The Taijutsu master was taken off guard and took a few steps back; that one action gave Tenten enough time to roll to the side. She abandoned her staff; splinters of wood were sent flying everywhere as Tenten's bow shattered on the floor. She reached into her knapsack and pulled out two small scrolls. She quickly rolled them onto the floor and they unraveled as they made their way towards Fuyu. Tenten sprinted in the middle of her scrolls and spread her arms out. Several kunai's and shuriken's burst free from their paper prison and Tenten grab each one flicking them rapidly at Fuyu. Clanging sounds encompassed the room as Fuyu's blade stopped each weapon thrown at her. Tenten didn't stop though, she continued to run and catch the vast array of weapons at her disposal until she reached the end of her scrolls. Fuyu smirked and without haste she went for the weaponless Tenten. Suddenly a beautiful pair of twin tiger hook swords adorned with red tassels underneath the hilt popped up from the calligraphy written parchment. Tenten caught both swords just in time and jumped at Fuyu. Tenten quickly wrapped her legs around her opponent's waist and with all of her strength she pinned Fuyu to the ground. Both kunoichi used all they had to try and push their opponent back with their weapons. The steal from both their swords screeched as metal met metal. Their arms trembled as they battled against each other's strength, they were at a stalemate.

A gargling cry came from behind Fuyu, her eyes widen as she heard her pet cry in agony.

"Fuyu!" Screamed Naruto as he made his way towards both kunoichi's.

"I must say you two really are quite a bother," spat Fuyu.

"I can say the same about you," replied Tenten through clenched teeth.

Fuyu screamed in frustration and pushed Tenten off of her. She flipped backwards and just barley dodged Naruto's attack. He looked back at her with his fist embed in the ground. He snarled as he pursued her. Fuyu ran towards the hole in front of her cell at top speed. She was so focused on making her escape that she failed to see the small paper bombs that Tenten had littered the floor with. Tenten did a few hand signals which activated each little bomb to go off in succession as Fuyu ran by them. Fuyu shielded her face as she ran into the thick smoke in front of her. A blast of air swiftly past by her and the next thing she knew her breathe was knocked right out her. She was sent flying backwards, and Tenten was ready for her. She kicked Fuyu right in the middle of her back sending in sparling in the direction she had come from. Naruto had her right where he wanted her. He emerged from the black smoke and charged at Fuyu. He pulled his right arm all the way back and with his fist clenched he punched Fuyu. His knuckles dug into her stomach and her body contorted as she was abruptly stopped and sent flying backwards. Fuyu's body hit the wall at full force; her eyes widen in pain. Her mouth gapped wide open but not a sound came out. She slowly slid from the wall to her knees; her body swayed from side to side as she desperately tried to regain her balance. She finally lost the battle and blackout; her lifeless body hit the ground face first. Naruto and Tenten cautiously walked towards her body. Both Tenten and Naruto were a mess. The wounds on both of them told one hell of a story. They both looked down at Fuyu; both of them were breathing heavily.

"God Naruto are you sure you didn't kill her?" Asked Tenten as she bent down to check Fuyu's pulse.

"If I would have hit her with a Rasengan I would have," replied Naruto as he bent down as well.

"What do we do with her now? She's totaled this entire section of the dungeon," said Tenten as she looked at the dismay that surrounded them.

"I'll seal her inside one of my toads," said Naruto as he wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth.

He placed his hand on the floor and his summon jutsu spread all over the floor. A massive toad appeared in front of them.

"Tenten do the honors and tie her up. I don't need her causing havoc inside my friend here," replied Naruto as he patted the side of his summon.

Tenten got to work and used some of her chains from her scroll to tie Fuyu up. Once done Naruto picked Fuyu up bridal style and walked over to his summon.

"Open up," said Naruto.

The giant toad opened its mouth and stuck its long tongue out. Naruto bent down and placed Fuyu on the toads tongue and nodded at his summon to swallow her. Once it followed its orders the giant toad disappeared.

"There that should do it," sighed Naruto.

"I hope so."

"Oh I can guarantee you she won't be waking up, and if she'd did there's no way in hell she'd be able to do anything."

"Well that's a relief," replied Tenten as she wiped a combination of sweat and blood from her brow. "Now what?"

"I need to get to Baa-chan."

"Well I know Ino went to see her so that she could tell her what she knows."

"Yeah but there's a hell of a lot of things I didn't get to tell Ino. Besides I need to have a talk with Baa-chan," whispered Naruto.

Tenten looked up at him; the whole right side of his face was covered in blood and his demeanor had suddenly changed with his last statement. Something about the way Naruto was currently acting didn't seem right to Tenten. She had no clue what was going on between Naruto and Tsunade but she was sure that things weren't going to be pretty when they met face to face. Tenten moved closer to Naruto when suddenly her ankle gave out; hot searing pain traveled up her leg. She stumbled but was quickly caught by her friend. Naruto gave her a questionable look, at first he thought she was just tired, but then he remember she had hurt her ankle before even fighting. He looked down and could see that she wasn't putting any weight on it like she was before. Tenten noticed Naruto thinking things through. She playfully punched the bottom of his jaw.

"Sorry Naruto I couldn't stay put, I'm no damsel in distress."

* * *

><p>Tsunade's office was alive with activity as numerous Anbu were reporting their findings to the 5th Hokage. Shizune was busy taking down the damage reports of the village's buildings. Everyone was working feverishly when Naruto stormed into the room. Heads turned as he barged in. He looked awful, he was covered in dirt and dried blood was caked on several wounds, the worst was an injury on his temple. Tsunade quickly rose from her seat when her gaze met Naruto's.<p>

"You know Baa-chan the shit storm that just hit us could be happening in Suna right now!"

Tsunade's expression didn't change; she calmly spoke to her Anbu as a response.

"You all have your orders, you're all dismissed."

All the Anbu in the room knelt down in respect and instantly departed from the Hokage's office. As soon as they were gone Naruto drew closer to Tsunade's desk.

"Sakura-chan and the others have no idea what the hell they're up against if these same monsters are used to take down Suna!"

"Take down Suna? What in the world are you talking about Naruto?"

"I got information from Karin, information that regards Sasukes's current plan. He's attacking Suna as a test. He's activation the virus to see if he's able to take them down, and if he does he'll have no hesitation striking here next."

"Activating the virus….no wait…you talked to Karin?!"

"Yes I did I wasn't about to just sit at home and do nothing!"

"Her mental condition is still fragile Naruto. You should have waited for the interrogation team!"

"Stop scolding me for not following protocol Baa-chan! Karin wanted to help so just stop it already!" Snapped Naruto.

"Do not start with me Naruto," warned Tsunade as she glared at Naruto.

Naruto looked away from Tsunade's gaze, he needed to get her to take action, not beat him to an even bloodier pulp.

"Baa-chan Suna is in trouble. They will be attacked just like we were only they will be in a whole lot of trouble."

"I've been in contact with the Kazekage via telecast this entire time. They have no reports of intruders anywhere near Suna. So for now Sasuke isn't anywhere near there, that is if what Karin said is true, and if it is then Suna will be fine since Sakura will have enough time to create the antidote."

"Apparently that doesn't even matter. What little hope we thought we had was just wishful thinking, the cure won't work."

"Yes it will."

"No it won't!"

"What the hell has gotten into you?! " Scolded Tsunade as she marched her way over to Naruto.

"You sent Sakura-chan there Baa-chan! How could you do that!?" Spat Naruto. "Do you know how pathetic and useless I feel right now?! My wife and friends are in danger and there isn't a Goddamn thing I can do!"

Tsunade was taken aback; Naruto had finally snapped. All the frustration and anger he had over her sending Sakura away was bubbling over. Tsunade took a deep breath and looked at the young man before her.

"You aren't pathetic and useless Naruto. If it wasn't for you being here we would have suffered many more casualties."

Naruto looked up at Tsunade; shock was all over his face.

"Casualties?"

"Yes, we lost some people Naruto. Several residential blocks in the village were heavily hit. It breaks my heart to know that this happened but you fulfilled your duty by being here. If you were with Sakura and her team we would have lost so many more people."

Naruto was speechless, he suddenly felt horrible for bickering at Tsunade. Anger started to build up inside him. The tightness in his chest was unbearable.

"I should have killed Sasuke when I had the chance," whispered Naruto.

"Naruto…"

"Why the hell am I bound by my morals, why can't I just kill Sasuke!?"

"Because you aren't Sasuke Naruto, you just can't take someone's life."

"But he has no problem doing that to us! He has no remorse for killing the innocent! I will put an end to this once and for all!" Snapped Naruto as he turned around to leave the room.

"If you go and kill Sasuke Naruto you would change who you are. I know that this anger you feel is pushing you to take action, but doing that would be something you wouldn't normally do. Am I right Naruto?" Asked Kakashi as he made his way into Tsunade's office from a nearby window.

Naruto quickly turned towards the calm and collective voice. He had been so riled up that he hadn't even sensed him. Naruto said nothing as he watched his former teacher lean up against the wall.

"You chose the path that you're currently on Naruto. You know very well that you could have ended up like Sasuke. The both of you share similar circumstances when it comes to family tragedies, but you decided to fill your heart with love instead of hatred."

"I know that, but being a hero, being noble and good, doesn't change the situation that I'm currently in. I can't protect my family and friends."

"That may be true Naruto, but one cannot truly have the world in their control. No matter how much we try we can't stop the hands of fate. Unfortunately Sasuke can't understand that. We can't change the past and reasoning with revenge will lead you nowhere. So don't stray from your path Naruto. Do not regret your past choices. Instead focus on your future ones."

* * *

><p>Naruto slowly made his way home, the village was a mess. There were Anbu everywhere keeping on lookers from getting too close to buildings that were damaged in the fight. Naruto's neighborhood was a huge safety issue now. Not much of the buildings were left. Concerned villagers approached him as he quietly walked pass them. It was more the apparent that he had seen some action, what with his current appearance. He had refused to get any medical help from Tsunade let alone go to the hospital. No Naruto had left her office without even a backwards glance. He needed time alone to gather his thoughts.<p>

"Naruto what happened?"

"Are you badly hurt?"

"What were those things?"

"Are those things coming back?!"

The questions were back to back, Naruto couldn't answer all of them, nor did he want to. Before he knew it he was surrounded by people young and old, all of them wanted answers from the town hero. They were everywhere and desperate for Naruto to talk. Before he could say anything two shinobi approached the crowd.

"Please everyone may we have your attention. The Hokage will be holding an emergency alliance meeting in an hour. All of your questions will be answered there. For now please return to your homes, and if your home was damaged in the attack please follow my friend here. He will escort you all to the shinobi academy. There you will find cots, food, and water. I can assure you all that your stay there will be pleasant and short. Tsunade-sama is working on reconstruction plans at this very moment."

Naruto took advantage of the coward's attention being elsewhere. He quietly snuck away without them even noticing. After walking a short distance he reached the stairs that lead to his apartment. Naruto looked at them, it was amazing that they had survived, not a scratch was on them. Naruto made his way up the stairs quietly. He was about to reach for his keys when he remember that there was no need for that, the door had been ripped off its hinges. Naruto walked inside and looked around the shattered remains of his apartment. There was rubble everywhere, nothing looked familiar at all. It was really a depressing sight; Naruto began to regret coming here to think things through. He slowly bent down and rummaged through the bricks and piles of wood. He was still in disbelief that this had happened. Naruto sighed heavily, he was about to stand up when something caught his eye. He reached for a photo that was inside the crushed remains of its frame. It was the photo of Team 7. Naruto looked down at the damaged photo he held in his hand. There they all were, so young and naïve. Usually this picture left Naruto with a fond nostalgic feeling however his feelings now were far from fond. He clenched his teeth as he crumbled the picture in his hand. The anger he had felt in Tsunade's office was returning, only this time he heard the conversation he had with Kakashi.

"_You chose the path that you're currently on Naruto. You know very well that you could have ended up like Sasuke. The both of you share similar circumstances when it comes to family tragedies, but you decided to fill your heart with love instead of hatred."_

"_I know that, but being a hero, being noble and good, doesn't change the situation that I'm currently in. I can't protect my family and friends."_

"_That may be true Naruto, but one cannot truly have the world in their control. No matter how much we try we can't stop the hands of fate. Unfortunately Sasuke can't understand that. We can't change the past and reasoning with revenge will need you nowhere. So don't stray from your path Naruto. Do not regret your past choices. Instead focus on your future ones."_

Naruto slowly opened his hand and dropped the crumbled photo. Kakashi was right there was nothing he could do about the events that lead to all of this. Instead he needed to focus his energy on preventing anyone else from falling prey to Sasuke. For now Konoha was secure, Tsunade already had everything in the village under control. She was holding an emergency alliance meeting and she was also getting into contact with the other Kages. All the other shinobi villages' corporation was needed. Everyone else needed to pitch in with reinforcements for Suna. An attack was imminent but Naruto knew that for the time being Suna was safe. Sakura hadn't used the scroll that Naruto had given her, nor had he been notified by Kento. All Naruto could do now was try and pick up the pieces. He needed to make sure Sakura had a home to return to. He slowly stood up and started to see what he could salvage. He gathered a few things and placed them in the boxes he and Sakura had set aside for moving. Once he had gathered what he could save he began searching for his new apartment keys.

He entered his room and searched the floor meticulously. He was looking for the pants he had worn before the attack. The keys were left in his pocket. Finally he found them underneath his crushed dresser. He searched the pockets and found the keys he was searching for. He took them out and tightened his fist around them. He was beyond relieved that at least he had Sakura had some where to go. Naruto put the keys in his pants pocket and continued to take what he could from his room. He gathered some of his and Sakura's clothes along with some toiletries and placed them in boxes. He was finally done, at least for the time being. Naruto took one more look around his home when suddenly he heart sank. He could feel a familiar chakra approaching his apartment rapidly. His breathing picked up and his palms instantly became sweaty. His mind raced as he tried to think of an explanation, then again he could have all the time in the world to think of one but nothing would suffice. Confronting Sakura's mother wasn't going to be easy. Just then Hanako frantically ran into his apartment. Her light pink hair was a mess, as was the rest of her appearance.

"Sakura! Where are you! Sakura!"

"Haruno-san."

"Oh my god Naruto what on Earth happened here? Where's Sakura is she hurt?"

"No she wasn't here when the attack happened."

"Oh thank the gods," said Hanako as she approached Naruto. She gasped once she got a good look at her young son in law, he looked terrible. "Oh no Naruto you're hurt, why haven't you gotten any medical attention yet?" Asked Hanako as she looked Naruto over.

"…"

"I'm surprised Sakura hasn't healed your wounds yet," said Hanako as she inspected the gash on Naruto head. "This really looks serious Naruto. Sakura isn't going to be happy if she finds out that you're walking around in this condition."

Naruto slightly winced at Hanako's remark.

"Naruto, where is Sakura?"

"…"

"Naruto?"

"For starters Haruno-san let me stress that she had no choice. She had direct orders from Baa-chan."

"Direct orders? What are you talking about Naruto?"

Naruto looked at his worried mother in law. He felt horrible but he knew she needed to know the truth. Naruto gathered all his courage and inhaled deeply.

"Sakura was sent on a mission, she's currently in Suna."

"What?"

"I did everything I could do, I tried to stop her, but her mission was vital to Suna's safety. I even tried to accompany her but I was denied. I had to stay here in case of an attack…"

"She went to Suna alone!?"

"Oh no of course not I made sure that her team was handpicked by me. She's in very good hands and I can assure you that she has other safety precautions with her as well."

"…."

"Haruno-san?"

Hanako's face was pale, she remained silent. Naruto stiffened he had no clue what else to do or say.

"Why?" Whispered Hanako.

"Excuse me?"

"Why didn't she tell me she was leaving?"

"Everything happened so fast, she was ordered to leave immediately."

"What about you Naruto? What kept you from telling me something so important?!" Scolded Hanako as she balled up hands. She slowly began to strike Naruto in the chest repeatedly as she sobbed.

"She shouldn't be out there! How can a mission be more important than her own safety?!" Screamed Hanako.

Naruto felt his mother in law hit his chest over and over again. It didn't hurt physically but emotionally it was tearing him apart. Naruto had no idea what to do, so he waited for Sakura's mother to stop. After a few moments Hanako slowly stopped hitting Naruto and instead she buried her face in his chest. She desperately tugged on his shirt; her muffled cries echoed through the shattered remains of Naruto's apartment. She continued to cry on her son in laws chest, all the while Naruto had no idea how to respond. Suddenly Hanako looked up at him. He looked back at her and he was instantly snapped out of his emotional turmoil. Hanako's watery jade eyes and ruffled pink hair made him think of Sakura.

"Why did it have to be our Sakura Naruto?"

Naruto instantly pulled Hanako close and buried his face into the side of her neck.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect her Haruno-san," whispered Naruto.

Hanako's eyes widened, she felt Naruto's body relax as he held her close. She could hear him softly crying into her pink hair. Hanako held Naruto close and stroke his matted blonde hair. She could only imagine how he was taking all of this.

"I'm going to do everything I can to make this right," said Naruto.

Hanako slowly pulled away from her young son in law and took his face into her hands.

"Naruto I'm sorry, I'm not blaming you for this."

"But I should have done something."

"And you did, you just told me you tried to stop her, and when that wasn't enough you tried to go with her. You even went and created a team to escort her when you were told to stay in Konoha. To me Naruto you did all you could do, and for that I'm thankful."

"…."

"Tsunade-sama's reasoning was correct, even though it hurts to know that Sakura's in potential danger. However the block I live on was spared because you killed those monsters Naruto. If you hadn't of been here, well I might not be here right now," said Hanako.

"I'm happy I was able to protect you Haruno-san but I hate not being able to protect Sakura-chan."

"I know the feeling Naruto, but we can't always be with the ones we love. In cases like this we have to believe in them, we need to have faith. Which is something that both you and I have to do now. I know that I had a little meltdown there but it was just shock. I know my daughter can take care of herself."

"I do too, I just feel so powerless."

"Just remember that you did everything you could. Don't think for one moment that you've failed Sakura," said Hanako as she hugged Naruto tightly.

Naruto returned the hug but stopped when a sharp pain in his side took his breath away. Hanako felt him wince. She slowly pulled away from him and looked him over once more.

"Come on now, you're coming home with me."

"What?"

"You heard me Mr. you need to be cleaned and patched up," said Hanako as she took Naruto's hand. "Come on now you can handle any other business you have here once you've rested."

Naruto reluctantly followed Hanako; he looked back once more to see what was left of his home.

* * *

><p>The sky was still dark as Sakura and the rest of her team walked into the heart of Suna; it was still early morning. In front of them stood a huge dome shaped building that housed Suna's council and Kazekage. Temari led the way as they walked up a few set of stairs. Inside the building officials walked by with mounds of paperwork. Sakura watched as they hustled down the hallway. She smiled and giggled a little to herself.<p>

_It looks like Tsunade-sama isn't the only one that has to deal with looking over important documents. Poor Naruto if he really wants to be Hokage then paperwork is going to be an everyday thing. _

After walking up a few more flights of stairs they arrived at their destination. Temari let everyone into Gaara's office; he was seated behind a long desk with two aids by his side.

"I see that you all made it safe and sound, I hope there weren't any delays on your journey here."

"No your sister was an excellent guide as always Gaara-sama," replied Shikamaru.

"I'm glad to hear that all went well," said Gaara.

"It did Sakura is prepared to continue to the next part of our mission."

"Excellent."

Temari walked over to her younger brother and began to whisper in his ear; Gaara listened intently. Once Temari was done Gaara dismissed his aids. They quickly left his office and once they were gone Gaara addressed Sakura directly.

"Sakura I would like to personally thank you for making the trip over here. Especially in your current condition."

"It was nothing Gaara-sama."

"No what you're doing is no regular feat. You've saved my brother in the past, and here you are again saving my villagers lives, and mine as well. All while carrying a child. Believe me if I had known I wouldn't have asked for you."

"No Gaara-sama my pregnancy doesn't change the fact that I am the Hokage's number one student. I have to fulfill my duty no matter what. So please believe me when I say that it's an honor to be here again. I'm more than happy to help."

"That goes for all of us Gaara-sama. Not only was our team chosen to protect Sakura, but also to defend you in case of an emergency. Tsunade-sama is very well aware of how hard your village was hit. We've made it top priority to make sure your village is kept safe until we're sure everyone has taken the antidote," said Shikamaru.

"I can see that Konoha is really looking out for us, my gratitude and thanks goes to you all. Now please allow Temari to show you all to the living quarters you'll be staying in while you're here. I want to make sure that you are all properly rested. I can't have any of you going to work exhausted."

"That sounds like a good idea," answered Shikamaru as he looked back at his team.

"No wait I need to get started immediately," said Sakura.

Shikamaru and the rest of the young shinobi in the room looked at Sakura.

"Time is crucial right now, you know that Shikamaru."

"That I do, but I was hoping you would at least get more rest."

"No I'm fine, really I am," said Sakura as she walked over to Gaara's desk. "Now please Gaara-sama, where will I be working?"

* * *

><p>Sakura wiped the sweat from her brow as she worked diligently with the mixture of her herbs in front of her. The scroll that Tsunade had entrusted with her lay open on the table. The precise measurements and the detailed instructions were at Sakura's disposal. She had already been working on the antidote for some time now but the steps that were needed were very tedious and thorough. Every little thing had to be done just right, if not then she would have to start all over again, and she didn't have the time to mess up. A handful of botanist and medics were aiding Sakura on her quest. She was so glad that she had help; doing everything on her own would have taken even longer.<p>

"Can I please have 2oz of juniper root please?" Asked Sakura.

"Yes of course Haurno-san."

"Actually it's Uzumaki," corrected Sakura.

The botanist was a bit surprised but instead of prying she smiled apologetically.

"My sincerest apologies Uzumaki-san," said the botanist as she made her way to a nearby cupboard to retrieve Sakura's desired ingredient.

Sakura blushed; she had corrected the botanist so quickly and without even thinking. Her actions surprised her, even though her correction was the truth, her last name really was Uzumaki. Sakura felt a little odd, everyone in Konoha knew about her and Naruto, but Suna was different. At least everyone in Suna was being very respectful to her. She knew that most of the people remembered her from her and Naruto's last visit. She had worked closely with some of the botanist, and medics that were currently aiding her. Saving the Kazekage's brother from Sasori's ruthless poison was a big deal, so it was easy to say that a great deal of individuals remembered the pink hair kunoichi. So being in Suna once more but with child was a little embarrassing. She was by no means ashamed of being with Naruto, or carrying his child, but it was just odd having strangers know such an intimate secret, and now everyone knew for sure who the father was. What with Sakura's quick correction of her new last name.

However no one had paid any special attention to Sakura's current condition, or at least they weren't showing it. Her and Naruto's little bundle of joy was a potential scandal to some; there were villagers in Konoha that still didn't approve. Yet here in Suna all was fine. Gaara's authority was probably behind it. Everyone knew of his and Naruto's close friendship. Suddenly the botanist was right by Sakura's side.

"Here is the juniper root that you requested Uzumaki-san."

"Thank you," replied Sakura.

She took the lavender root and added it to the vast array of other ingredients she had in a large porcelain mortar. She grabbed her pestle and began to grind everything together. Once thoroughly mixed she poured her concoction onto a large square of parchment paper. She made a swift hand motion which sent a Suna medic to her side. The young medic handed Sakura the vile containing the liquid portion of the formula. Once these two elements were mixed the antidote would be complete. Sakura wasted no time in doing so. She pinched the parchment paper in half and gently poured the powder into the liquid filled vile. The mixture began to bubble and fizz. Everyone silently gathered around Sakura to see the unfolding of a miracle. They all held their breath as the fizzing settled down and the light blue liquid began to change to a deep dark purple. Sakura gently brought the vile closer and inspected it meticulously.

"This is it, it's complete. Hurry and take this to the Kazekage, he needs to drink it immediately, time is of the essence," instructed Sakura as she handed the vile to a nearby medic.

"Of course Uzumaki-san," said the medic as he took the vile from her. He bottled it up with a wooden cork and made his way out of the room. Kankuro was waiting outside and once the medic was by his side they made haste.

Sakura sighed in relief; now that she has successfully made the first antidote making the rest for the infected shinobi wouldn't take as long. Sakura was beyond elated; she couldn't believe that they finally had a victory on their side.

_Naruto is going to be so happy to hear the news!_ Thought Sakura.

She briefly closed her eyes and when she did she could see Naruto's bright smile and vivid blue eyes looking back at her. The vision before her seemed so real, she swore that she could even smell his unique scent; she relished in the thought of her husband. Suddenly the sound of rapid discussions and test tube bottles snapped her out of her day dreaming. Sakura shook her head gently as she mentally got back to her duty. She still had much to do and with the help of her aids she continued to finish her mission at hand.

* * *

><p>A busy little tea-shop buzzed with activity. Regular patrons were in good spirits, what with the recent good news. Suna had received the aid it so desperately needed from Konoha, and thanks to that the village hidden in the sand was beginning to regain its strength. Shikamaru and Temari sat side by side at the bar. A young waitress served them their warm drinks and food.<p>

"Please enjoy," she said politely before leaving.

"Thank you," replied Temari.

Shikamaru faintly smiled at the waitress as she left.

"So it looks like everything went according to plan, wouldn't you agree Nara?"

"It would seem so," said Shikamaru solemnly.

"What's with you? Sakura was successful in creating the antidote, my brother took it along with all the infected shinobi, so our mission was a success."

"You forgot the conditions of the antidote."

"So it takes time for the full effects to kick it, so what. I mean what are a few hours?" Asked Temari as she rolled her eyes.

"It means everything, Suna is still venerable."

You're such a buzz kill you know that Nara. Look even Sakura seemed satisfied, so much so that she split with Hinata to visit the doctor."

"Yeah well her mind is on her child's health. It's my job to stay sharp until the antidote is working 100%."

"So that's why you had Hinata go with Sakura, and Lee and Sai stay by my brothers side. You're prepared for an attacked aren't you?"

"I always am Temari. You need to beware of scenarios that seem too good to be true," said Shikamaru as he raised his drink to his lips.

"So you think I'm a delusional fool for thinking we're in the clear."

"I never said that."

"You don't have to. I know how to read between the lines."

"Look I'm not insulting you Temari."

"Whatever Nara," said Temari sourly as she turned her body away from him; she decided to focus her attention on her meal instead. Shikamaru sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry."

Temari slowly looked over at him

"You're apologizing?"

"What you don't think I should?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well then what? Do you want me to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness?"

"Would you stop it!" Scolded Temari.

Nearby people looked over at Temari and Shikamaru. She blushed profusely as all eyes in the tea-shop were on her. She glared at Shikamaru, it was his fault she had everyone's attention. After a few awkward moments everyone went back to their food and conversations.

"So then you were saying…"

"Look Nara I'm just surprised that you'd do that, apologize that is."

"Well believe it or not I am capable of doing so," replied Shikamaru.

"You really are something else Nara."

"I'll take that as a complement."

Temari chucked softly, as annoying as Shikamaru could be she still found herself attracted to him. She turned her body towards him once more. Her legs were crossed and her ankle swayed from side to side.

"So then if you're prepared for an attacked why'd you pair yourself with me then? We aren't an ideal set, what with both of us being long range specialists.

"Well for starters you invited me, I just couldn't turn you down. Plus I'm well aware that we aren't a match battle wise, but my smarts makes up for that."

"God you're so full of yourself," chuckled Temari.

"Say what you want but it's the truth."

"Alright then Mr. Know it all how much longer do we have to wait in order to receive your seal of approval."

"It takes 6hrs for the antidote to work. Suna shinobi received it 3 hours ago. You're brother on the other hand has a 2 hour head start."

"So Gaara is just an hour away from fully recovering."

"Yeah but even if your brother makes it he will still be without a large number of shinobi. So like I said earlier Suna is still insanely venerable."

"God you always have to look at things so negatively, but I see your point."

"I'm not being negative, I'm being logical."

"Sure you are," teased Temari as she gently punched Shikamaru's shoulder.

She finished her drink and looked for their waitress so that she could order herself another cup when something caught her attention. Mixed in with the noise of the patrons was a high pitched sizzling noise. It sounded so familiar, like the sound of an explosive tag getting ready to explode. Suddenly she realized that that was exactly the sound she was hearing. Temari instinctively brought her arms up to shield her face. She felt herself get knocked off her chair as Shikamaru threw himself at her to shield her from the blast. Time seemed to slow as Temari fell backwards, a bright light surrounded the inside of the tea-shop and as soon as it appeared it was gone. Intense heat and debris filled the room and frantic people screamed for help. Temari roughly hit the floor, her ears were ringing, and she could feel blood trickling down her neck. She brought her arms down and noticed she was covered in blood. She panic and checked her chest for a wound but she found nothing. She quickly looked up at Shikamaru who was right above her. Her heart sank when she saw a large piece of wood trenched in blood. It wasn't too large but it had completely pierced through Shikamaru's shoulder blade and now it was sticking out of his chest. Shikamaru coughed as he made eye contact with Temari.

"Goddamnint Temari, why do I always have to be right?"

* * *

><p>So then I really wanted to upload this chapter sooner but at the end of last month my laptop crapped out on me. I still have my warranty so I shipped it off to get fixed. I barely got it a few days ago so all of my story writing was done on paper. Then I would go to the library to type out what I could. I had a really good system going and then I got hit with uveitis and iritis. They are both conditions where your eye swells and becomes sensitive to light. So I was basically beyond sensitive in my left eye, any light at all made it burn. So I went to the doc got my diagnoses and some eyes drops. The drops worked like a charm but I was left with very blurry vision so looking at a computer screen was a big no no. Needless to say I learned how much I can write without the computer. Anyhow I'm better now and I have my computer back. The next chapter is already written out for the most part, now I just need to type it. I also started another story, but it's a LuNa fic, yeah I had a lot of free time. Anyway I hope you liked this chapter it was really fun writing this one, take care everyone.<p>

Kat


	26. Chapter 26: Quick sand

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>The scene in the tea-shop was horrifyingly tragic. Patrons that were once so vibrantly alive with renewed vigor and hope were now sprawled lifelessly across the floor. Their cheers and happy voices were no more; the crackling of the fire that slowly consumed the building was the only noise that filled the room. Shikamaru looked down at Temari. He watched helplessly as the blood from his wound soaked the front of her chest. Shikamaru breathed heavily; he had been right, Suna was under attack.<p>

Temari had not moved nor had she said a word. All she could was stare back at Shikamaru as his body hovered over hers; she was clearly in shock. Shikamaru coughed furiously, his lungs felt like they were on fire. A large piece of wood landed a few feet next to them. The sound of it hitting the floor snapped Temari back to reality. In a matter of seconds she realized the severity of their current situation.

"Nara, oh my god, are you alright?!" Temari asked as she sat up and gently held Shikamaru's good shoulder.

"I've seen better days," Shikamaru coughed.

Temari looked his wound over. It was bad. There was no way she could safely remove the piece of wood, and even if she could Shikamaru would just bleed out even more. He needed to get to Sakura.

"This is bad Nara, we need to get out of.."

Before Temari could finish her sentence another set of explosions went off a few feet from in front of them. The heat from the blast was intense and Shikamaru and Temari shielded themselves as best they could. The tea-shop was rapidly being engulfed by the raging inferno.

Shikamaru and Temari were leaning against the wall when suddenly a tremendous thud came from in front of them. A giant seibutsu slowly emerged from the flames; its head turning from side to side as it looked for survivors.

The fires scorching temperatures did little to deter the lumbering beast's search. Its bright yellow eyes spotted Shikamaru and Temari on the floor and in a matter of seconds it was charging at them. Temari unclasped her fan from her back and swung it at the seibutsu. The side of her massive fan smacked the monster in the jaw and it was sent hurtling back into the flames from which it came. Clutching his wound Shikamaru slowly stood up.

"We need to get out of here, we're way too venerable," said Shikamaru.

"Agreed I can't use any of my wind based attacks in here, all it will do is feed these flames."

Shikamaru quickly surveyed the area; the main exit was block by blistering hot flames and chunks of wood. He needed to find them an exit and fast. He had no idea what that thing was, but he was sure it wasn't going to stay down for long. Suddenly a long pale arm shot out from towards Temari, and the next thing she knew long clammy fingers were clasped around her throat. She clawed at the tight grip she was locked in, however the beast wasn't about to let her go. She felt her feet lift off from the ground as the rest of the seibutsu slowly made its way out of the fire. It snarled at her, it wasn't pleased with the swift blow she had given it.

"Shit," muttered Shikamaru as he quickly made a few hand gestures. "This is beginning to get troublesome. Kagenui no Jutsu!"

The fire within the room was the perfect place for Shikamaru and his shadow based techniques. The dancing of the flames created shadows everywhere. A large amount of needle like shadows began to emerge around the seibutsu and seconds later they were quickly launched at their target. Every shadow whip pierced the monster simultaneously from every direction. The massive seibutsu screamed in pain. It desperately tried to moved but it was frozen in place. It turned its gaze towards Temari in anger, and a few seconds later its grip on her was released; she fell to the floor with a thud. Temari rolled back and joined her wounded friend, but before she could thank him a shattering noise came from above; the tea-shop's ceiling was beginning to give way.

"Right on time," whispered Shikamaru.

He held his jutsu on the seibutsu tightly, the roof falling on top of it would be the perfect chance for he and Temari to make a run for it. Chunks of plaster and wood began to fall from above and seconds later an entire portion of the ceiling caved in. It landed right on the seibutsu who let out a high pitched scream as it was instantly crushed.

"We need to move now!" Yelled Shikamaru. "I need you to clear up what's blocking our exit!"

"You got it," replied Temari as she followed Shikamaru towards the exit.

The Suna kunoichi saw the exit covered by flames and wooden beams. She quickly swung her fan at the obstacle in front of them and in a blink of an eye everything was blown away. She and Shikamaru kept running until they crossed the street. They didn't want to be too close to it since the still burning flames were eating everything in their path.

They found refuge underneath an herb shops canopy, and they watched as the tea-shop continued to burn. People's frantic screams surround the two young shinobi. They watched on as worried civilians crowded the streets.

Several Suna shinobi did their best to keep the worried and scared people calm. They quickly shouted orders and the swarm of individuals began to flood in the directions that were pointed out to them. Suna had strict safety procedures for it's villagers if it were ever attacked. Deidara's swift assault and capture of Gaara had forced Suna to implement new procedures in case of an emergency. Shikamaru slowly sat down on the floor and Temari followed suit.

"Are you alright?" Temari asked.

"I just need to catch my breath is all."

"Would you please drop the tough guy act. You're badly hurt!"

"I'm not acting tough. This is my cool and collective attitude," corrected Shikamaru.

"Just shut up and relax, I need to do something about your injury and quick. Just letting it bleed out is dangerous," warned Temari as she looked at Shikamaru's ghastly wound.

"Sure," replied Shikamaru as he leaned back against the wall.

Temari knew something needed to be done about the large jagged piece of wood that was sticking out of Shikamaru. After a little thinking she came to a conclusion but she knew Shikamaru wasn't going to be very happy about it.

"Ok smartass listen up I need to apply some more pressure to your wound. It seems the wood is stopping major bleeding, but I need to move it, so be prepared for some discomfort."

"You aren't serious are you?"

"You bet I am," said Temari as she sent a precise amount of chakra to her fingertips. She swiftly used her chakra blade to tear off a large section of her dress.

"Well this is going to be interesting," muttered Shikamaru.

"Just shut up and relax Nara."

Shikamaru sighed heavily as he turned his head to the side. He wasn't looking forward to Temari's plan, but it was better than nothing. Temari quickly went to work. She began to wrap the fabric from her dress around his wound and then tightly fastened a knot on Shikamaru's back.

"There I've covered the bleeding areas on both sides, now take this," said Temari as she handed Shikamaru a red pill.

"A blood regeneration capsule, nice," said Shikamaru as he quickly popped the pill into his mouth.

"You should be alright with that, you just need to take it easy for a few minutes. The pill needs a little time to start taking effect.

"Yeah well that's time that we don't have. We need to move now," said Shikamaru as he slowly stood up..

"I agree to an extent Shikamaru, but... I mean can you even run?"

"It doesn't really now matter does it Temari?"

"It does matter! You can't push yourself so much! Maybe I should move ahead and try to locate Sakura and the others while you stay here."

"No, the most important thing for us to do is to stick together. We can't afford to run into more of those monster's alone."

"Alright. I guess you have a point but at least let me help you," said Temari as she approached Shikamaru.

She was about to help support some of his weight against her body when an all too familiar roar came from behind them. The seibutsu they thought they had taken care of charged out of the burning building.

It instantly saw Temari and Shikamaru and without hesitation it ran straight for them. It's sheer speed was overwhelming but Shikamaru's thinking was still faster. He rapidly sent his shadow to meet the beast half way. It hissed in aggravation when Shikamaru's shadow once again gained control over it.

The seibutsu struggled against it's shadow prison and Shikamaru panted heavily as he fought against the monsters attempts to break free from his grasp. His vision was becoming fuzzy but he shook his head to regain control over his body's weakening state. Shikamaru pulled something towards him and from the ground rose several thin pieces of wire string. The seibutsu was trapped in an elaborate array of wire, each of which was loaded with explosive tags.

"Temari listen. I need you to use your strongest attack on this thing. I highly doubt my attack alone will kill it."

"Roger that Nara," said Temari as she pulled her fan close to her.

Shikamaru released the explosive tags. They crackled and fizzed as they rapidly burned. The seibutsu's yellow pupiless eyes widened when the tags completely disintegrated. Explosion after explosion began and the concussion from each one hit Shikamaru and Temari full force. Each wave weakened Shikamaru further. Finally the last explosion went off and Temari prepared herself. She spread her fan open and gathered some blood from her lip. She then smeared it alongside her weapon and swiftly swung it towards the seibutsu.

"Kuchiyose: Kirikiri Mai!"

Temari's summon Kamatari burst free from her fan with it's sickle close by its side. Without having to be told what to do her silver weasel sent out a barrage of nimble attacks with its sickle. Once it's attack was done the silver weasel disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Just as it vanished the entire building behind the seibutsu was split in several places. The Seibutsu burst apart with a blood curdling scream which was verification that their enemy was done for. Temari watched as Shikamaru recalled his shadow, but as she turned to face him her heart sank as she helpless watch him fall to the ground.

"Nara!" Screamed Temari as she ran by his side.

She quickly scooped him up in her arms and gently shook him for some sign of life. He was unresponsive.

"Oh no, please no, wake up Nara! Wake up!"

Shikamaru's body was limp and Temari's desperate cries didn't wake him. The young kunoichi began to tremble. She was about to give up hope when she noticed that Shikamaru's chest slightly moving up and down; he was still breathing.

Temari's heart skipped a beat, there was still hope after all. She quickly looked her surroundings over. She needed to place Shikamaru somewhere safe while she looked for help. After looking the area over she decided the herb shop they were next to was the best she could do for the moment. She carefully dragged Shikamaru into it. It was easy though;, Shikamaru was far heavier than Temari thought. She carefully set him on his side as she looked around the shop. It was quiet but she knew better than to take that as a sign of the area being cleared.

"Show yourself!" Ordered Temari as she quickly grasped her fan.

"Please don't hurt us," said a shaky voice.

An elderly women rose from behind the counter with a young woman by her side.

"I'm not going to hurt you," said Temari calmly as she lowered her hand from her weapon.

"Grandma it's alright, it's Temari-san," beamed the young women.

"My heavens! Thank god, my sight isn't what it use to be. Are you here to help us?" Asked the older women.

"Yes I'm actually on my way to find my comrades. However I have a wounded friend, he cannot make the trip with me. Would you two please watch over him so that I can get help?"

"Yes of course, Misaki get me some warm water and towels from the back room."

"Yes grandma Shizuko."

The young women came back with several blankets. She quickly bundled some of them up and propped them under Shikamaru's head. Temari looked as both women did their best to make Shikamaru comfortable.

"Please keep my friend safe, I'll be back with more help soon, I promise," said Temari as she made her way out of the shop.

She had only taken a few steps when a quick jolt from underneath caused her to almost lose her balance. The ground began to quiver, and the entire herb shop shook. It was then that Temari realized an earthquake was shaking the entire village. Temari heard something fast approaching her from behind. She quickly turned around to see Hinata and Sakura burst inside the herb shop from a back door.

"Take cover!" Ordered Sakura as both she and Hinata hide under a table. Temari heard the terrified women behind her scream in fear. She quickly ran back inside and opened her fan. She used it to shield them all as debris from the ceiling fell down. Temari looked towards her right through a nearby window.

A large wave of sand was flooding the street, and she instantly knew it was her brother. After a few more moments of intense shaking the trembling began to falter. Hinata looked off in the distance, she was using her byakugan to look beyond the safety of the herb shop.

"Everyone is still fighting Sakura-san. The Kazekage and the rest of our team have pushed the enemy out of the area,," said Hinata as she helped Sakura from under the table.

"Good. I need Shikamaru on top of the front counter please. I need to patch him up," said Sakura as she began to wipe the merchandise off the countertop.

Hinata and Temari bent down and tired to lifted Shikamaru off the ground. It was difficult since he was nothing but dead weight. Misaki came to help and with her aid they were able to get Shikamaru off the ground and onto the front counter on his side.

"You must be the medic Temari-san was going to fetch," replied Shizuko.

"Yes ma'am I am. I'm sorry for just barging in here barking orders, but as you can see this is an emergency."

"No need to apologize. Do you need any herbs? I'm the owner of this shop after all. My inventory is at your disposal."

"That would be amazing. Can I please have some herbs for pain and some anti-hemorrhagics herbs like calendula or raspberry leaf?"

"I have those and much more sweetie. Let me get them for you. Misaki, please come help me gather them up,," said Shizuko as she lead her granddaughter to the back room.

"Hinata, please continue to keep an eye out, and Temari, be on your guard. The fight can still come back this way," said Sakura as she tore Shikamaru's jounin vest open.

"Yes Sakura-san," replied Hinata as she continued to observe the events that were unfolding outside. Temari had not spoken a word. All she could do was looked on in amazement; everything was going by so quickly. She couldn't believe Sakura and Hinata had just waltzed in at the perfect moment.

"How in the world did you know we were here Sakura?

"Shikamaru told me an attack on Suna would be imminent. I wasn't so sure, but he insisted that Hinata and I to go to the clinic at the far end of the village. He told me that if an attack did indeed happen, then the front of the village would be the first area that would be hit. He knew that Hinata and I would have enough time to act if anything did happened. I was to report to him right away if an attack did indeed occur, but I never heard from him when I did so. I knew instantly something had happened.

Thankfully I was able to get a hold of Sai via communicator and with his help, and Hinata's byakugan, we were able to safely travel from a safe distant. All we could do was watch the rest of the team as they fought. I knew the general area of where I last saw you two, and with that in mind Hinata was able to find you guys. If it's one thing Shikamaru would have wanted it's for us to stay together."

"Yeah he told me the same thing," replied Temari.

She could hear the conversation she had had with Shikamaru just a few minutes ago.

"It does matter. You can't push yourself so much! Maybe I should move ahead and try to locate Sakura and the others while you stay here."

"No, the most important thing for us to do is to stick together."

His voice continued to echoed in her mind.

"Well his left subclavian artery has been severed, but the pressure from the piece of wood has kept him from really bleeding out," murmured Sakura as she placed one of her hands on Shikamaru's bare chest, while the other was on his back.

She remained silent for a few more moments, Temari watched as Sakura examined Shikamaru. "Alright then. I know what I'm working with now," said Sakura as she picked up her hair.

"Temari please drag one of these table next to me so I can place my equipment on it."

"Yes Sakura," said Temari as she dragged a nearby table to Sakura's left side.

Sakura opened her knapsack and looked inside. The first thing she saw was the scroll Naruto had given her before she had left for Suna. Her hand trembled as it hovered over it. Sakura quickly ignored her feelings and grabbed the scroll she needed instead. She opened it up on the table and performed a releasing hand technique. A puff of smoke emerged and there on the table were a vast array of surgical instruments.

Misaki and her grandmother Shizuko emerged from the back room with an array of glass jars. Without any direction the elderly women began to mix different herbs into a large mortar. She swiftly created a paste and place it front of Sakura.

"Thank you, now if you two ladies could help me with my patient here. I need you both to be prepared to hold him down incase he wakes up. I doubt he will since he's suffering from blood loss and shock, but it's still a possibility so be on your toes."

"We can most certainly do that. Misaki I need you at his feet since you're stronger, and I'll be by his head," replied Shizuko.

"Great. Now Hinata, Temari, I need you two to keep the fight away from here. I can't have the building shaking anymore. Once I remove the wood I need to take out any stray splinters that maybe stuck inside Shikamaru's wound before I begin to heal him. It's imperative that no dust or debris fall on him. it could cause a serious infection. I'm counting on you two."

With that said Sakura began the delicate task of removing the large piece of wood from Shikamaru's body. Temari had a newfound drive to succeed, it was her job to keep everyone safe. She and Hinata made their way outside. Before exiting the shop Temari looked back once more at Shikamaru.

"You idiot, you better not die on me."

* * *

><p>Naruto rolled over in bed, a familiar scent filled his nose. He slowly opened his eyes to see if what he smelled was true. He couldn't believe what he saw. There staring back at him was Sakura.<p>

She smiled sweetly at him and the next thing Naruto knew she came closer to him for a kiss. Naruto couldn't wrap his head around what was happening. Before he could further question what he was experiencing Sakura's delicate hands cupped his face and her sweet soft lips brushed up against his.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat and as he reached for her his eyes shot open. He was laying flat on his back looking straight up at the ceiling. Naruto's mind was still foggy and at first glance he had no clue where he was. He quickly sat up in bed which caused his temples to throbbed slightly; he instinctively grabbed his head. Upon doing so he felt fresh stitches on the side of his temple. It was then that everything came back to him. He remembered where he was and how he got there. He looked at his surrounds and the bed he was in.

He was in Sakura's old room. Hanako hadn't changed anything in her daughters room since she moved out. Everything in it was left untouched. Perhaps his surrounds had contributed to his dream. Before Naruto could dwell on it any further a soft noise caught his attention. Naruto intently listened as his mother in law moved around in her kitchen. She softly moved about and the delicious scent of home cooking filled the air. Naruto slowly got out of bed and made his way towards the restroom. He turned the sink faucet on and splashed some cold water on his still tired face. The fresh crisp water send a shiver through his entire body. He reached for a fresh washcloth and with it he dried his wet face. He slowly inspected the fresh stitches on the side of his head in bathroom mirror.

Sakura's mother had done a pretty good job at patching him up. Naruto looked at his reflection, he was looking far better than he had a few hours prior. His bare torso was tightly wrapped with bandages. He had really banged up some of his ribs, he wasn't even sure if they were cracked or broken, then again that was the least of his problems. Naruto yawned was surprised he had gotten any sleep at all. At first sleeping was the last thing Naruto thought he would do but after getting patched up Hanako told him to shower.

Once exiting the steamy shower his exhaustion took over and he had passed out on Sakura's bed. Unfortunately, Naruto had awakened to find that everything that had happened a few hours before wasn't some horrible nightmare; it was all real.

**"I still say we leave for Suna Naruto."**

"..."

**"You're still going to ignore me after what happened last night?!"**

"If I would have left like you wanted more people would have died!"

**"Again your priorities aren't in the right place!"**

"Enough! I don't want to have this conversation with you again. I've made up my mind I'm staying in Konoha. Sakura-chan is prepared for anything, I've made sure of that so unless you're going to help me I suggest you keep your muzzle shut!" Snapped Naruto.

**"..."**

The Kyuubi was taken aback, he was surprised Naruto was so short with him. The fox demon didn't feel like arguing and so it decided to just leave Naruto alone.

**"Do what you want,"** muttered the Kyuubi as he returned to Naruto's subconscious.

The blonde haired shinobi felt bad for being so harsh with his demon counterpart, but he meant what he said. He needed to protect his home and everyone in it. He was done sulking, and he was ready to tackle all of this head on.

He had been an emotional wreck the last few days and his behavior had gotten him nowhere. He needed to find out what Tsunade had planned. Naruto left the restroom and reached for the clothes he had brought back from his apartment. He carefully got dressed; he was beyond stiff and sore. However, he ignored the pain and discomfort.

Naruto quietly left Sakura's room feeling very awkward. He had never been inside Sakura's home, yet here he was. He slowly made his way towards the kitchen were Hanako was. She was busily moving about when she saw Naruto slowly peek from the hallway into the kitchen. She smiled and motion for him to sit down and eat. Naruto obeyed and within a few minutes he was eating a delicious breakfast. Hanako sat down across from him with a cup of warm tea clasped in her hands.

"You had a visitor earlier today Naruto."

"A visitor?"

"Yes. Your old sensei Kakashi."

"What did he say?"

"That when you were ready to talk he would be more than pleased to brief you on what's developed since you've been asleep."

"..."

"Don't you dare feel bad about getting some rest Naruto. You needed time to recharge. I'm even surprised that you didn't sleep longer."

"I wasn't sure of my surroundings, and my sense of my smell was playing tricks on me. So I was woken up rather suddenly."

"What do you mean? what made you wake up?" Asked Hanako.

"Oh no it's nothing Hanako-san, really," stuttered Naruto. He was a little embarrassed about his vision of Sakura, and sharing it with her mother wasn't something he wanted to do.

"Well regardless of your reasons I hope you feel better."

"I do. Thank you Hanako-san."

"Naruto, I know that our relationship didn't start off the best when you started dating Sakura, but, things are different now. You're family and I know that you'll find a way to fix all the chaos that has encompassed us."

"I'm going to do my best, I promise," said Naruto as he finished his meal. "With that said, I hope you'll excuse me for leaving, but I need to know what's going on."

"I understand Naruto," said Hanako as she stood up.

She headed towards Naruto and took his empty plates. She placed them in the sink and turned around to face her son-in-law.

"You know where to find me if you need me Naruto."

"Of course Hanako-san, and I'll keep you posted on everything."

"Good. Now lets get you on your way."

Hanako motioned Naruto to follow her. He did as he was told, but Hanako stopped when they reached the front door. Sakura's mother turned around and hugged Naruto tightly. She sighed heavily into his shoulder; Naruto could feel her every emotion as she held onto him. Naruto hugged her back wanting nothing more than to take her worry away. The two held one another silently for a few moments. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what Sakura would think if she saw them right now. She would probably faint. Hanako squeezed Naruto tightly before letting him go.

"So you're going to meet up with Kakashi?"

"Yup, I sure am."

"But I didn't ask him where you could find him."

"It's alright Hanako-san. I know exactly where he is," replied Naruto. He gave Hanako a smirk as he walked out the front door.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes<strong>

So I had such a hard time with this chapter, if you can't tell with the wait and all. Every Time I'd try and work on it I felt forced, so I would take little breaks here and there thinking that time away from it would bring new fresh ideas, but it wasn't happening. . I have major writers block, even though I have the majority of the story already mapped out in my head. I like putting in extra details in there, I just can't skip stuff and make it short you know. In all honesty I wanted to add more to this chapter but it has literally been sitting on my computer for months just collecting dust. So I finally decided to just upload it as it is. I knew it wasn't fair to people that wanted the next chapter. So I decided to just upload this chapter now. This way the next chapter can be a clean slate for me. Anyhow sorry for my nagging guys. I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for putting up with my not so hasty updates.

Kat


	27. Chapter 27: No turning back

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Kakashi read his worn out copy of Icha Icha paradise as he relaxed high above in a tree. The cool shade from the trees large leaves provided the perfect spot to read. The silver haired shinobi leaned back against the trees sturdy trunk as he flipped yet another page from his favorite book series. At first glance one would think he was reading intently, but Kakashi still had a watchful eye of the ground below him. His spot high in the tree was not only wonderful place to read but it also provided a great aerial view of Team 7's training grounds. Kakashi yawned as he slowly turned his gaze from his reading material; a sudden yellow blur had caught his eye. He softly sighed as he stretched his arms high above his head. He stood up and jumped down from his high perch. He landed gracefully onto the ground, and there waiting for him was Naruto.<p>

"Well it seems my wait wasn't as long as I thought it was going to be," said Kakashi as he closed his book and tucked it safely back into his knapsack.

He then motioned Naruto to follow him and together they slowly walked their old training grounds.

"You know the council wasn't pleased about your absence from the meeting, but I settled them down before things got heated."

"You didn't have to do that Kakashi-sensei."

"You maybe right about that but my actions were of my own accord and I had your back because I wanted to help you out."

"Thanks sensei. So why was the council upset?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"..."

"You really are something else you know that," sighed Kakashi. "The council was hoping to speak to your directly about your encounter with those creatures. I reminded them all that you weren't the only one to face them. Ino and Tenten were also there. Their testimonials shed light on the identity of the culprit responsible for everything."

"Fuyu."

"Yes the women who attacked Konoha a few months ago."

"That bitch was just sitting in her cell biding her time. Her capture was nothing more than a set up," Naruto said as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"It would seem so, and it's most unfortunate that we didn't catch on to her true motive until it was too late. Sasuke's plan has been very well calculative since the beginning."

"Yeah, and we've fallen into his orchestrated plan far too many times," scoffed Naruto.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Naruto. Thanks to you, Ino, and Tenten Fuyu failed to escape."

"I guess youre right, I just can't believe the enemy was right under our noses."

"It really can be frustrating, but the important thing is that she's captured. Which reminds me, where is the summon that is holding her?"

"I sent it back to Mount Myoboku, so I can easily re-summon it."

"Good. As we speak a maximum security holding cell is being created for Fuyu. As soon as it's completed you'll be asked to turn her over."

"That won't be a problem Kakashi-sensei."

"There are also some special modifications that have been put in place around the village. Tsunade-sama has placed Konoha on lock down. Missions assignment are on hold. No one enters Konoha and no one leaves. On top of that extra protection seals have been placed in order to keep anyone from entering Konoha. Shinobi that are currently out on missions have already been alerted on the situation thanks to the Yamanaka clan. They have direct orders to completed their missions and return home as quickly as possible. Special modifications are being made so that Anbu are automatically notified once any shinobi approaches the village. Every single person who tries to gain access to Konoha will be searched."

"Looks like everything in place will finally ensure Konoha stays well protected."

"Well there's more Naruto. You can't forget that you're Konoha's greatest source of protection. The council is relying on you a great deal. They need you to be their eyes and ears "

"And how exactly do they want me to do that?"

"The council wants you to send out several clones so that a large portion of the country can be covered. With all of them protecting several entry points your sensitive perception skills can feel out potential threats from all corners. They also want you to be responsible for overlooking those individuals the ANBU allow in just to make sure they aren't a threat. All of this work means you'll need you to be on guard at all times. Can you do that?"

"Yeah I can handle that," said Naruto.

**"You're an idiot if you agree to this without making sure we get something out of it," scolded the Kyuubi.**

"I don't need your interference right now. Just keep quite, behave, and let me handle things."

**"Enough with treating me like a common dog Naruto! I want to speak to Kakashi!"**

"Excuse me...you what?!"

**"Let me speak to him now Naruto."**

"Why should I?"

**"Because if you deny me this request I will deprive you of the perceptive skills the council so desperately needs Naruto, and believe me when I tell you that you won't be able to convince me otherwise."**

"Fine, you don't have to be so dramatic about it," muttered Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei hold on. The Kyuubi wants to have a few words with you. I apologize in advance for his behavior," said Naruto.

Kakashi was surprised to say the least, but he remained cool and collective as always.

"All right go ahead and let him speak."

Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The darkness he saw rapidly consumed him and he was able to let go of his thoughts which allowed his subconscious to take over instantly. Kakashi looked on as Naruto remained still. Suddenly his eyes opened abruptly and Naruto's vibrant blue eyes were now replaced with the Kyuubi's ruby red eyes.

**"Hatake Kakashi," snicked the Kyuubi. "It's a pleasure to finally get to speak to you."**

"The pleasure is all mine," replied Kakashi. "So what exactly do you want to speak to me about?"

**"I want to discuss our terms for providing protect for Konoha."**

"Terms?"

**"Yes. Naruto may be ready to listen to what the council has to say but the same doesn't go for me. I am not willing to take orders from those old fools."**

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Snapped Naruto.

**"Taking matters into our own hands!"**

"But you can't just…"

**"Keep your trap shut and let me handle things!"**

"..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Alright I'm listening," replied Kakashi smoothly.

**"We will provide Konoha with security but we are to be left alone when it comes to Sakura."**

"What do you mean?"

**"Your Hokage has done enough meddling in our personal affairs and it is because of her interference that Sakura was sent outside of out protection. The only thing that matters to us is that Sakura is safe and whatever Naruto and I plan to do is our business and our business alone! If the council tries to keep us away from her then the deal is off!"**

"You are aware that I cannot guarantee that your terms are met."

**"Oh I'm sure that the council will think our terms over. After all we are all Konoha has from falling."**

"Rest assured I will let the council and Tsunade-sama know your wishes," said Kakashi as he slightly bowed.

**"Good. Now this conversation between us is now over Kakashi. However you can talk to the brat as much as you want,"** said the Kyuubi as it returned back into the recesses of Naruto mind.

Kakashi watched in silence as Naruto's body relaxed. A few seconds later the blonde haired shinobi was back in control of his actions.

"Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry, the Kyuubi doesn't do to tell interacting with others."

"It's alright Naruto. There's no reason to be ashamed, the Kyuubi is after all a part of you."

"That he is," said Naruto as he placed his hand on his stomach.

"Look I know deep down you agree with what the Kyuubi wants. I know that letting Sakura leave wasn't easy.

"No it wasn't. I regret it so much, but there isn't anything I can do about it now."

"Yes there is Naruto. You can ensure that Konoha remains safe. Sakura is in her last trimester of pregnancy. Your son will be here sooner than you know, and once that happens no threat can ever come to Konoha."

"I never thought of it that way. I've kinda just been in the mind set that Sakura-chan would be pregnant forever, but you're right sensei. Our son will be here soon. I need to make sure Sasuke is stopped before then. I'm not going to have anything happen to our child."

"I'll be right by your side Naruto. Don't forget you aren't alone in this."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

"No need to thank me Naruto, we are family after all," replied Kakashi as he gently patted Naruto on the back.

Naruto couldn't help but smile. Here he was almost 18 years old and his former teacher was still watching over him. Neither one of them said a word to one another after that; there wasn't a need too. The both of them simply walked side by side with their tasks at hand in both their minds.

* * *

><p>Sakura brushed beads of sweat from her brow as she finished stitching Shikamaru's wound. The emergency surgery was a success but the conditions in which she was forced to work with were not favorable and Sakura knew that Shikamaru still needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible. At least her efforts had gotten him out of harms ways, and he was stable for the the time being. Sakura removed her traveling robe and placed it over Shikamaru to help regulate his body temperature. All she could do know was make him comfortable. Misaki looked at Sakura and her eyes widen when she saw the young kunoichi's belly.<p>

"You're pregnant?!"

Sakura jumped at the sudden question. She looked over at Misaki who was staring at her intently.

"Yes I am."

"What in the world are you doing on a mission when you're with child?!"

"Well you see my superior Shizune would have been the ideal candidate for this mission but she was infected with the virus that has inflicted your village. Our Hokage wasn't sure if infected individuals are contagious, so as a precaution she and any other infected people weren't allowed to leave Konoha," replied Sakura. "Her condition is what lead to me being assigned to the mission."

"This is just outrageous! I can see why you were sent but it still seems unethical to me. I mean you could very well get hurt or even.."

"Misaki that is enough!" Scolded Shizuko.

"But grandma Shizuko sending a pregnant woman on a mission is unheard of."

"You may think that, but this young women is a kunoichi. She was trained for this life. She has come here in order to help our village, and in doing so she has put her own life aside and puts ours first. So hold your tongue! This brave young women doesn't need to be reminded about the risks shes taking."

"I'm sorry," whispered Misaki. "I meant no disrespect."

"It's alright," replied Sakura. "Your reaction is only natural. My husband didn't want me to leave either, but there was nothing he could do. I promised him that I would stay safe and that I would make sure that my mission would be a success. My teammates are doing their part, now I need to make sure I do mine."

"So what do we do now?."

"Well for starters I need to make sure that Shikamaru is sent to a hospital immediately. He was far to close to death when I first saw him so moving him wasn't possible, but he's in better shape now so I can have him transported out of here," said Sakura as she opened her knapsack and whistled.

"It's about time you came out Kento."

With that said a small toad's head appeared from the knapsack.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were thinking straight. Things have escalated quickly Sakura."

"They have and that's why I need your help."

"Sure what do you need?"

"First get the scroll. I'll explain as I go along."

"Sure," said Kento as he ducked back inside the knapsack.

After a few moments the toad emerged once more with a scroll in his mouth. He hopped from Sakura's knapsack to the table Shikamaru was resting on. Sakura then bit her thumb and pressed the palm of her hand onto the floor.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

A puff of white smoke surrounded Sakura. She slowly took a few steps back as she watched the smoke begin to disappear. Slowly the form of a large mass could be seen from the fading smoke. This creature almost reached the ceiling of the building they were in. Finally all the smoke vanished and all that was left was a large slug.

"Yes Sakura."

"Mei I need for you to split up into several replicas for me. I want one version to take Shikamaru back to Konoha, he needs to get to a hospital immediately. Once he's in good hands report to Tsunade-sama. Let her know that Suna has been attacked."

"By who?"

"I'm not sure, but it could very well be Sasuke-kun," said Sakura solemnly.

"Alright then I'll let Tsunade-sama know. What do you want from my other replicas?"

"I need you to release the seal I've placed on you so that you can perform a mass healing for me. There are several Suna shinobi outside that need to be healed and protected. Im currently in no condition to do that myself Mei. You need to locate everyone that is hurt and begin healing them. This also includes the Kazekage and my team. They should all be fighting together. It is imperative that you latch on to each one of them. You can keep one version of yourself with me so that I can see what their current conditions are.

"I understand Sakura, but why didn't you summon Katsuyu? This seems more like something she could do."

"She's far too big Mei. If I had summoned her our current location would be exposed to the enemy. Besides I've been storing a little bit of my chakra in you for almost 2yrs now. We've been training for this very scenario. You can do this Mei, I know you can."

"Thank you Sakura I'll do my best."

Mei grew silent and before everyone's eyes she burst into thousands of tiny slugs. They all made their way outside so that they could start the healing process of the many victims littered all over Suna. Two little replicas of Mei stayed behind. One made her way towards Shikamaru. Once she reached him she disappeared sending herself and Shikamaru back to Konoha in an instant. The other version of Mei approached Sakura.

"I'll be the one that stays with you so that you're connect to all my other versions."

"Alright Mei come here," said Sakura as she knelt down. She placed her hand on the ground and Mei inched her way towards it. Once in her masters hand Mei was placed safely on Sakura's right shoulder.

"Now onto the next phase," said Sakura as she took the scroll Kento was holding for her.

She began to open it when a sudden sharp pain in her side took her breath away. Sakura gasped at the fierce stabbing sensation. She dropped the scroll as she reached for her belly.

"Sakura!" Gasped Shizuko.

The elderly women quickly made her way towards Sakura with her granddaughter right behind her. Both women helped steady her as best they could.

"Oh my god are you alright?" Asked a frightened Misaki.

"She's been pushing herself far too much," replied Shizuko as she looked Sakura over.

Before Sakura could abject her entire lower abdomen began tightening up; she was having contractions.

"Please….not... now," whispered Sakura.

"How far along are you Sakura?" Asked Misaki.

"I'm seven months," replied Sakura as she did her best to regulate her breathing.

"You need to stop and relax Sakura," ordered Shizuko as she helped Sakura sit down on the floor. "Hurry Misaki get me some water and Valerian root."

"Right," said Misaki as she hurried for the sink.

Sakura leaned her body against the wall, however her contractions continued. She took a deep breath and did her best to relax. It was then that she felt just how tired she really was. Her body was telling her that she was indeed pushing her limits. Mei traveled down to Sakura's belly to see what exactly was going on. The tiny slug looked over at Sakura once she had gotten a diagnosis.

"Sakura the chakra you used up to help Shikamaru has left your body unbalanced. These contractions are real. You're experiencing the early stages of labor."

"What?! How can that be!? I didn't use that much chakra when I was working on Shikamaru."

"That may be true Sakura but there is something you're forgetting. Your son shares Yang chakra just like Naruto does. It's strength alone is too much for your body to handle since it is indeed chakra that comes from the nine tails. You are the first non Uzumaki women to give birth to a child that carries this chakra. The two Jinchuuriki before Naruto were Uzumaki women and their clans special chakra allowed them to keep the nine tails chakra in check with their own. Unfortunately you can no longer do this, you will have this child, there is no stopping that."

"You see I should just take you home. You can't have this baby here especially what with all this crazy stuff going on!" Coraked Kento.

"I'll be fine just let me concentrate on my breathing," snapped Sakura.

The toad couldn't help but be frustrated with his master's wife. He had no idea how Naruto was able to put up with this stubborn woman. Just then Misaki reentered the room and gave the glass of water to Sakura.

"Here this should help with the pain. It has Valerian root in it which should naturally relax your uterine muscles."

"Thank you Misaki," said Sakura as she took the tall glass of cool water. She wasted no time and chugged all of it. She needed to get control of her body and drinking everything quickly could help her do that.

Suddenly a large explosion from outside cause the floorboards to shake underneath their feet.

"That was way too close for comfort," said Kento.

He hopped down from the table and made his way towards the scroll Sakura had dropped. He picked it up with mouth and made his way towards her.

"We're doing this now," said Kento as he opened the scroll for Sakura.

He placed it on the floor and waste no time in quickly performing a few hand signals. A plume of smoke emerged from the calligraphy scribbled parchment. Everyone watched closely as someones silhouette began to take shape. Footsteps began to approach them and the next thing they knew Uzumaki Naruto walked out the smoke. He quickly looked around the room he was in, as if he was looking for someone specific.

"Oh my god it's Uzumaki Naruto," said Misaki as she clasped her hands over her mouth.

Naruto looked in her direction and his heart sank when he saw his beloved Sakura on the floor.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Oh god Naruto," whimpered Sakura.

Naruto ran over to her and knelt down. Sakura tightly wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him close.

"Whats going on, are you hurt?" Asked Naruto as he pulled away slightly from her grasp to look her over for injuries. His eyes locked onto her large belly. He gulped nervously at the sight.

"Are...you….pregnant?"

"Boss there isn't time for her to explain so let me fill you in," said Kento as he hopped onto his masters shoulder.

Naruto paused for a moment so that he could better assist the situation with Kentos help. The small summon placed a webbed hand on Naruto's temple. In silence he mentally projected the events that had conspired. Within a few seconds Naruto was caught up on everything, the virus, Sasuke's plan, Sakura's pregnancy, their marriage, and even his best friends critical condition. It was a lot to take in but there wasn't time to be awestruck.

"So my original is back in Konoha, that's just great."

"Naruto I'm so sorry this happened. I know it must be hard to come into all of this blind," replied Sakura.

"It's alright Sakura-chan, I just need to make a mental note to update my clones a little more often," chuckled Naruto.

He lovingly stroked her face. Sakura leaned her hand against Naruto's. She knew he was just one of his clones but his presences still made her feel better. She tried to smile but her condition was worsening. She was beginning to sweat and her breathing was becoming more rapid. The ground rumbled as several buildings collapsed not far from their location. Naruto stood up and faced the direction in which everything was happening. He closed his eyes so that he could find out what he was up against. He sensed his friends fighting alongside one another. The enemy they were facing was difficult to read. He wasn't exactly sure what they were up against and if they hadn't been fighting at all Naruto might not have picked up on this strange enemy. A few Suna shinobi were also fighting in several parts of the village, but their enemies were human. Naruto was about to inform everyone of the situation outside when a familiar chakra suddenly appeared on the battle field. His eyes shot open and the expression on his face quickly turned to rage.

"Mei you need to get Sakura-chan out of here immediately!" Ordered Naruto.

He growled as he stared off in the direction the new chakra was coming from.

"I know Naruto but transporting someone when their vitals aren't stable is risky. I need to get her heart rate and blood pressure balanced, if I leave without doing that I can harm her and the child."

"Shit," snarled Naruto.

"What's wrong Naruto? Sakura panted.

"..."

"Naruto! What is it!?"

"It's Sasuke, he's here, and he's looking right at us."

* * *

><p>Ino tended to Naruto's wounds as he sat motionless on his bed. She gently placed some antithetical ointment on his fresh stitches. His body tensed slightly at the light stinging sensation the ointment caused. Ino flinched.<p>

"Sorry Naruto, I just want to make sure you heal right. I can't have Sakura see you in poor condition when she gets back."

"It's alright Ino I understand."

"That's being a good patient. Now these new dressings will probably be the last ones you receive. Your rapid healing is starting to take effect," replied Ino as she started wrapping Naruto's bare torso with clean bandages."

"So how's Tenten doing? Is her ankle ok?"

"Well her ankle is indeed broken, but it looks like she'll be back on her feet after a few days of bed rest. She was sent back to the hospital after the council meeting. Last I checked Neji's was there keeping her company."

"I'm glad someone's with her. I felt bad just dropping her off at the hospital with not even second glance."

"Well you had to get to Tsunade-sama. Besides the hospital was the best place for her Naruto."

"Yeah but still, I hope she doesn't think I don't care about her."

"Oh don't be see silly. I know Tenten understands, and from the story she shared with the council it's more then obvious that you do care about her, just like you do with all your friends," said Ino as she wrapped the last roll of bandages around Naruto's rib cage. "There you're good as new."

"Thanks Ino," said Naruto as he reached for his shirt.

He grabbed it and gently dressed himself. He didn't want to ruin all the hard work that had been put into caring for his wounds. Once he had his shirt on her turned to look over at Ino who was sitting right next to him.

"You know Ino, last night was insane. I couldn't have taken care of things without the two of you by my side. I owe you and Tenten a lot."

"Oh Naruto you don't owe us anything. We're comrades and Konoha is our home too."

"I know, I guess I sometimes forget that I'm not its only protector."

"That's right, we're all here to help."

"Yeah…"

"I'm really sorry all this happened Naruto. I still can't believe your apartment was totaled."

"It's alright Ino, what's done is done. Besides Sakura-chan was on top of things and got us this new place."

"You're right Naruto, I never thought about it like that," replied Ino.

"I would have hated to see Sakura-chan come back and have nothing but uncertainty welcoming her home. I'm beyond lucky she found this place. If she hadn't we would have been homeless."

"Don't even say that Naruto. It would have been horrible if that had happened."

"Yeah it would have just added to all the crap we're dealing with right now. Anyhow thanks for helping me set things up. I'm not very good at organizing furniture."

"It was my pleasure, Shikamaru rarely lets me rearrange our apartment. He finds it all far too troublesome."

"Yeah that's sounds like something he would say," Naruto lightly chuckled.

" Hey Naruto….do you think everyone is alright?"

"I'm sure they're alright Ino," reassured Naruto.

"You aren't just saying that are you?"

"Of course not," said Naruto as he turned his body around towards her. "You shouldn't worry so much."

"I know Naruto but I can't help it, especially with last nights attacks. What if Shikamaru and the others are facing the same kind of monsters?"

"I can't say it isn't a possibility, but I haven't received any word from Sakura-chan. So no news is good news."

"Wait a minute, how can you be receiving word from Sakura?"

"Oh yeah, you don't have a clue about what I'm talking about. Well I think it's time I fill you in on a little secret Ino."

"Secret?" Asked Ino as she moved closer to Naruto.

"Here let me explain. I made sure certain precautions were taken once I learned Sakura-chan had to leave for Suna without me. No one but she and I know about them."

"..."

" Like always she has my summon Kento with her. He can always reverse summon her back here if need be. Then there's.."

"Wait your summon is with her?!" Interrupted Ino. " If that's the case why didn't Kento just reverse summon everyone to Suna instead of them travelling!?"

"God Ino calm down, I'm not deaf you know" said Naruto as he cleared out his ear. "Look I know that sounds like a good plan, even Sakura-chan suggested it, but in times of uncertainty shinobi villages put defense shields around their villages and its borders. Anything that tries to make its way inside via teleporting or reversed summoning will be ripped to shreds. Even if the protection seals weren't a factor Kento is old. He isn't as young as he use to be, he can't be reverse summoning that many people to that far a distance safely anymore. So traveling was the best method. Now that he's inside Suna he can bring Sakura safely, and since he's bringing her back home our village's defense shields won't hurt him."

"So if he does reverse summon someone it would only be Sakura then?"

"Yes."

"But what if something happened to him?"

"I'd be notified. Mount Myoboku would be alerted if he were to die and they would tell me if that occurred."

"I see, but you do know that Sakura won't want to come back if she has too. You of all people should know how stubborn she can be."

"Believe me I know, so I made sure to take care of that too."

"Now this I gotta here," said Ino.

"Before Sakura-chan left I made sure she took one of my Sage clone scrolls with her. Inside it is one of my clones who's constantly gathering nature chakra for me. I take these scrolls with me on difficult missions. If I'm in sage mode and I need a boost of nature chakra I use them to recharge myself. This time however he's there in case of an emergency. Sakura-chan knows to use that scroll when she has no other choice. Once he's summoned he'll make sure that she gets back home one way or another."

"But he's just a clone, he could easily be taken out."

"No this clone isn't flimsy Ino. This guy can take a hit without disappearing. It's almost as if I'm in two places at once. Unfortunately I won't know what's going on until he disappears."

"That's right you absorb whatever your clone see's once they're released."

"Yup and so far that hasn't happened. Given he could of been summoned already but I won't know until he's released."

"Well that just sucks."

"Tell me about it but it's better than nothing."

"So for now all we can do is wait?"

"Yup unfortunately that's all we can do."

"But what are we going to do if they are in trouble?"

"I'm still thinking that part through Ino, but I do know that I will do everything in my power to make sure everyone is safe."

"Well I guess this is good news, in a manner of speaking. I'm sure they're fine though and Sakura won't have to use that scroll. I mean Shikamaru is with them and that man is always one step ahead of the game," stated Ino proudly.

Naruto could tell that Ino was doing her best to psych herself out. He had no doubt that she meant every word she said about her boyfriend, but each of her statements had traces of fear and doubt in them. This was only natural. Even Naruto felt the same way. Ino continued to talk but Naruto's mind was beginning to wander. At first he thought it was because of boredom but that wasn't the case. His eyes widened when he knew what was going on. Naruto wasn't spacing out, instead he was focusing on something coming towards Konoha and in a blink of an eye it was inside the village.

Ino continued to chatter; she was oblivious to what was going on. For a few moments Naruto didn't move, the gravity of things had momentarily paralyzed him. He kept making sure that what he was feeling was real, and each time he did he was faced with the grim truth. Shikamaru had just entered Konoha with the aid of one of Sakura's summons. His condition was grave.

"How could this happen?" Whispered Naruto.

Did you say something Naruto?" Asked Ino.

Naruto turned towards her; a huge knot in his throat began to tighten. Words failed him and all Naruto could do was look at Ino.

* * *

><p>The small herb shop began to quiver and shake. The poor building couldn't take much more damage. The battle that raged outside drew closer and closer. Sakura's screaming was getting worse; her contractions were getting stronger. Things weren't looking good and Naruto didn't have enough time to stop what was about to happen. Sasuke was coming their way.<p>

"Look out!" Yelled Naruto.

Misaki and her grandmother watched as Naruto ran towards the entrance of the shop. He quickly drew a kunai and lunged forward. At first glance it looked as if he was attacking just air but in an instant a figure appeared right in front of Naruto. The mystery person blocked Naruto's attack with the blade of his sword. Sparks shot out as metal met metal. Naruto and Sasuke both held their weapons tightly, they were at a stalemate.

"You really are a pain in my ass Naruto," Sasuke spat angrily. "I should have killed you at the Valley of the end when I had the chance."

"My thoughts exactly," snarled Naruto as he looked right into Sasuke's soulless black eyes.

Naruto's sensitive hearing pick up a light crumbling sound coming from underneath his feet. Without even looking he roughly pushed his former comrade back and repositioned himself in front of Sakura. Sasuke laughed as he placed his sword by his side. The ground where Naruto had just been standing began to rise; someone or something was making their way out from the earth below. Kabuto crawled out from the ground and slithered his way next to Sasuke.

"You see Sasuke-kun I told you Sakura would be here, and look my theory was correct, she is indeed with child, and not for much longer it seems. Today is our lucky day. Not only do we get Suna but a new Uzumaki as well."

"I guess you're right, but I can't help but find it amusing that Sakura settled for you Naruto. I guess second best was just her taste. Isn't that right Sakura?"

Sakura flinched when Sasuke spoke to her. She did everything in her power to fight back her tears; they were the results of physical and emotional pain. She didn't dare look in his direction and instead she looked at her belly. Misakai and Suzuko were trembling as they huddled near Sakura. They knew they were in serious danger.

"I have no problem killing the both of you if you come any where near my family!"

"Why so hostile Naruto-kun? I thought this is what you wanted. I mean just look around you, team seven is together again after all these years."

"Enough!" Yelled Naruto.

He was furious, but he held his ground. Attacking wasn't the ideal thing to do. Instead he needed to bide his time. Mei needed to get Sakura stable and that required time. Naruto growled in frustration. Taking two guys on at once was simple, but not while trying to protect three other people from them. Naruto was about to change his mind when he felt something that eased him immensely. He crouched down and reached for his shurikens. He threw several of them at Sasuke and Kabuto. The two of them dodge them easily but then again Naruto wasn't trying to hit them to begin with. Before Sasuke and Kabuto could land back on the ground a wave of sand burst through the wall behind them. They instinctively turned around and watched as it manifested into a large hand which reached out to grab them. They swiftly dodged the sand but that was the least of the problems. Gaara and his siblings entered the shop. Not far behind them was the rest of Sakura's team. All six of them rushed Sasuke and Kabuto. Naruto took advantage of his comrades arrival; he swiftly turned around and ran towards Sakura. He knelt down beside her and quickly looked her over, her condition was still the same, if not, worse.

"I haven't been able to stabilize her vitals Naruto. Her labor is rapidly progressing. I'm taking the risk and taking her home. "

"You guys will be ok Mei. I have faith in you, just like Sakura-chan does. Now get going."

"Naruto...this...isn't how I planned my labor," panted Sakura. "I don't know...if...I can do...this."

"Yes you can," said Naruto as he kissed her forehead. "See you soon."

"I'll make sure she and the baby make it home safe," replied Mei.

The tiny slug nodded at Naruto and she Sakura were gone in a puff of smoke. Misaki and Shizuko looked in astonishment as the young women they were holding vanished.

"Now it's time for you ladies to get somewhere safe as well. Kento take them to safety."

"You got it boss."

"Please be careful Naruto," pleaded Shizuko.

"I will and thank you for taking care of my Sakura-chan for me."

With that said Naruto turned around and ran towards the fray. His anger fueled him and now that Sakura was on her way home there was nothing holding him back.

* * *

><p>Happy Valentines everyone :D I hope this is a lovely surprise to you all seeing that my updates aren't very often. I have gotten many messages from some of my readers regarding the story so I wanted to share the questions I've gotten and my answers on here for those of you who might be wondering the same thing.<p>

Question #1 Why doesn't Naruto call the Kyuubi Kurama?

Well for starters this story was written back when Naruto had just gained control of the Kyuubi and was under going training with Bee in the manga. I had no idea that we would learn the Kyuubi's name let alone for Naruto and him to have a friendship. Even though we do know his name I won't have Naruto call him that.

Question #2 Now that Sasuke is good in the manga will you do the same thing in your story?

No no and no. Again my story was written before we knew anything about this war and all the crazy twist and turns it would take. In my story Sasuke didn't help Madara or Konoha, instead he left to do his own thing. This Sasuke is pure evil. He didn't have that heart filled moment with Itachi which caused him to see the light. So I wont be changing characters based on what happens in the manga.

Question # Do you not care about this story?! Your updates take forever!

Yeah I know my updates are,sporadic, and I try and I explain my many reasons why in almost every chapter, but thats the life of a mother. My hubby also got a new job that has him leaving on business trips, and when he's here he's working 12-16hr days. So needless to say I need to be mom and dad for my sons now. The story will go on and I will work on it when I have time. One thing that will change is it's length though. Originally I wanted this to be a very long story. When I first started this I was writing much shorter chapters and I had all the time in the world to write, but things have changed. So with that said it won't be as lengthy as I first thought but that's not going to change anything and chapters won't be rushed so no worries.

So yeah thanks to all my readers old and new :3 I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Kat


	28. Chapter 28: Twisted cohort

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Ino and Naruto stormed into Konoha's hospital. The nurse behind the receptionist desk was startled when both of them rushed at her.<p>

"Ino what in the world is the meaning of this?"

"Tami where is Shikamaru?"

"Shikamaru?"

"Yes he just arrived in critical condition, I need to see him now!"

"I'm afraid I don't know what youre talking about Ino. No one has come in through the doors except for you and Naruto."

"I know he's here Tami! He was reversed summoned and he's really hurt!"

"Ino please calm down you aren't making sense."

"Just listen to me Tami! He was reversed summoned here just a few minutes ago!"

"Ok Ino relax. I'll look into this for you," said Tami.

She picked up the receptionist's phone and began to punch in the extension to the second information desk that was in a different part of the hospital. She held the receiver as she waited for someone to answer, but the hospitals intercom system had her pull the phone back from her ear.

"Attention all medical personnel code blue. I repeat code blue."

"Shikamaru!" Yelled Ino and she ran towards the hallway that held an array of hospital rooms.

Wait!" Yelled Tami.

Ino wasn't in the mood to listen. All she wanted to do was be by Shikamaru's side. A male nurse was running towards the south end of the hospital when Ino crashed into young man began apologizing but Ino wasn't listening. Instead she continued to run down the hall when the young man grabbed her wrist.

"Ma'am we have a situation going on back there and non medical personnel are not allowed. Please wait in the waiting room."

"That situation is my boyfriend! Don't you dare tell me I can't be back there!"

"Ma'am please settle down."

"Sorry about that you can let her go. I'll take her to the waiting room," said Naruto as he quickly grabbed Ino by the arm.

The young man nodded in thanks and then he continued to ran back down the hallway.

"Ino calm down," whispered Naruto as he tried to lead her to the waiting room.

Upon arriving Naruto had to hold her in a bear hug. Ino had had snapped. She relentlessly screamed and cried as she desperately tried to break free from Naruto's arms, but it was no use. She knew that she stood no chance when it came to Naruto's strength, but that didn't stop her from trying.

"Shikamaru!"

"Ino please, you have to listen to me," pleaded Naruto.

Sobbing woman weren't exactly his specialty and it seemed that that's all he was encountering these past few days. Ino's body relaxed and she turned herself to face Naruto. She looked up at him; her eyes were red from crying.

"They just called a code blue Naruto. You know what that means don't you?"

"Yes I know it's a cardiac arrest alarm, but it's not Shikamaru."

"It's not?"

"No. I mean he's still in pretty bad shape but his heart hasn't given out."

"Oh thank god," sighed Ino as she placed her right hand on her chest; her heart was still rapidly beating.

"Don't worry he's being treated as we speak," said Naruto as he looked down at Ino who was now nervously playing with the fabric of his shirt.

"How could this happen to Shikamaru Naruto? He's smart. He always has a plan for a everything. He isn't the type to go and get mortally wounded."

"Ino.."

"What if he dies? I know you said his heart is still beating, but what if he takes a turn for the worst? What if the others are hurt as well?! Oh my god, Sakura…"

Naruto tighten his grip on Ino and rested his chin on her shoulder as he hugged her. Things weren't looking good, and Naruto couldn't even fathom what he would do if anything happened to Sakura. Suddenly a familiar voice caught both their attention.

"Hey what are you guys doing here?" Asked Tenten.

"Yeah what's going on you two?" Asked Neji as he pushed his teammate's wheelchair into the waiting room.

"Oh guys it's horrible Shikamaru just arrived and things aren't looking good," whimpered Ino.

She pulled away from Naruto and knelt down next to Tenten. She then wrapped her arms around her friends neck and began to softly sob.

"How can that be? He's supposed to be in Suna with the others," said Neji.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened. All I know is that he was reversed summoned her by one of Sakura-chan's slug summons."

"The mission must have been compromised."

"It would seem so."

"Is he the only one that was reversed summoned?"

"Yeah. Ino and I rushed here as soon as I sensed him enter the village."

"What about the summon? Is it still here?"

"No, I have no idea where the summon went."

"Neji you can leave me here with Ino. I think you and Naruto need to talk."

"Sure thing Tenten," said Neji.

He and Naruto walked a little further away from the waiting room. As soon as they were out of hearing range they began to talk.

"Things have really taken a turn for the worst Neji. I never thought Shikamaru would be taken out. He's what was ensuring the mission would be a success but now I'm afraid to think what everyone else is facing. We need to make sure that we are prepared for anything."

"Alright then, what do you need me to do?"

"Well for starters get everyone over here. Update them about Shikamaru's condition. I'm sure Chouji will make the perfect support system Ino needs right now, what with them being on the same team and all."

"Right. Are there any specific orders you want me to give everyone?"

"For now just bring them here. I'll probably have a better idea of what's going on once you get back. Besides Baa-chan should be arriving soon. I'm sure Sakura-chan's summon made its way to her with news of Shikamaru's condition. I'm sure that she'll be making an appearance here soon. If anyone can bring me up to speed it's her."

"What about extra security? I heard that the council wanted you to be protecting all the outskirts of our borders."

"Yeah I have that covered. I have all my clones in position and they are all linked to the intelligence team. They have all been alerted about Shikamaru's sudden arrival and condition by Inoichi, so they know what's going on."

"When were you able to get into contact with Ino's father?"

"I was able to get her to contact him telepathically before we made our way over here."

"Alright then, I'll leave and get Chouji and the others here as fast as I can. What are you going to do?"

"I need to stay here in case…. Sakura-chan comes," replied Naruto.

"Shikamaru may be here Naruto, but you and I both know that he'd make sure everyone else was safe. You know he takes his roles as team captain seriously. I'm sure he kept Sakura out of harms way."

"..."

"Naruto?"

"..."

"Naruto? What is it?"

"No," whispered Naruto.

"Did you say something?" Asked Neji as he looked his friend over.

Naruto didn't say a word, instead he quickly ran out of the hospital. Neji looked on as Naruto frantically made his way towards the hospitals front door.

"This can't be good," whispered Neji.

* * *

><p>Sakura coughed, as a mixture of dirt and ash filled her lungs. The smoke from Mei's reverse summon was beginning to fade. Sakura waved her hand around to get a better look of her surroundings. At first she couldn't tell where she was, but she was sure that she wasn't in the hospital. Another sharp contraction swept over her and she held her stomach and she waited for it to pass.<p>

"Mei where are...we?"

"I'm sorry Sakura I wasn't able to get to you the hospital. Your vitals weren't stable so we ended up somewhere else."

"Well where is somewhere else?"

"From what I gather we should be in Konoha, but everything around us is you thinking about anything in particular before I reversed summoned us Sakura?"

"I was thinking about Naruto."

"Hmmm perhaps your thoughts influenced where we were taken. Does this place look at all familiar to you?"

Sakura looked around so that she could get a better look at their surroundings. All she saw was a tattered building that was filled with busted furniture and rubble. She had no idea where she was, that is, until something crumbled on the floor caught her attention. She reached for it and just by touch alone she could tell it was a photo. Sakura spread it open and gasped when she saw what it was. It was the photo of Team 7, the same one that Naruto kept in his room. It was then that Sakura knew exactly where she was. Her labor pains were pushed to the back of her mind as she looked around the room one last time. Tears filled her eyes as she realized just where they were.

"Sakura are you alright?"

"I'm home Mei. This is mine and Naruto's apartment."

"Oh my god. How could this be?" Asked Mei as she freely slid across the floor.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's heart quickened when she heard that familiar voice call her name. She turned around just in time to see Naruto burst through what was left of the front door. He quickly spotted his pregnant wife on the floor and without haste he ran towards her so that he could be by her side. Naruto slide onto the floor and once he was next to Sakura he pulled her closed to him. Sakura couldn't believe she was really home, and in Naruto's arms. She hugged him so hard she was afraid she would crush him, but she couldn't help herself. Time seemed to stop as they held one another for a few moments. Finally Sakura loosened her grip around Naruto's neck so that she could look at him.

"Are you hurt Sakura..." Naruto began to say, but his sentence was cut short, what with Sakura's mouth tightly pressed against his.

She pushed herself against his chest which caused him to fall back onto the ground. Sakura straddled him without even thinking. Her kiss grew more and more intense. Naruto wasted no time in returning his longing for her and soon he lost himself in their moment of heated passion. He felt Sakura's fingers grab chunks of his hair and her soft lips moved in synchronization with his own. Sakura could feel bandages wrapped around Naruto head but her reasoning was compromised as she let her lustful behavior take over. Thoughts from the back of her mind desperately tried to get her attention.

She began to wonder if perhaps his wounds had something to do with the shattered remains of their home, but as soon as the thought came into her mind it was roughly pushed back. Sakura refused to stop and listen to reason. Even her current condition was pushed aside. All she wanted was to perform this normal act with her husband. Sakura felt that doing this would make everything that had just happened disappear. Giving into her urges made everything else that was going on simply fade away. The pink haired kunoichi knew it was a selfish thing to do, but she couldn't help herself. She shivered as Naruto hands went down the sides of her neck. They then traveled down her body and once Naruto reached her hips Sakura quickly pulled away from his lips. She gasped and hunched over in pain.

"Sakura-chan whats happening?! Are you hurt?!" Asked Naruto as he propped himself up onto his elbows.

Sakura's moment of bliss was ripped away from her due to another strong contraction. Her son was reminding her why she was even back in Konoha to begin with. Naruto sat up and placed both of hands on Sakura's shoulders.

"What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

"The baby's coming Naruto," whispered Sakura.

"What was that Sakura-chan? You need to speak up."

Sakura held her breath as she felt the contraction reach its peak. Once it was over she was able to speak to clearly.

"The baby is coming Naruto."

"What!? You're going to have the baby now?! All I did was kiss you! I thought these things took time!?"

"Much has happen to Sakura Naruto that's why need to leave now!" Said Mei as she inched her way up Naruto's arm. "I can explain everything later but for now we need to move fast! Sakura needs to get to the hospital immediately!"

Naruto gulped nervously as he looked at Sakura. Nothing he had encountered thus far in his life could prepare him for this. Fear was something he was used to feeling since he had fought countless powerful enemies. Many of whom had threaten to end the world, but the fear he felt during those battles was nothing compared to the fear he was feeling at this very moment.

"Naruto!" Snapped Mei.

Right," said Naruto as he shook his head.

He got to his feet and gently scooped Sakura up into his arms. Every movement he did was done with care so that he wouldn't harm his delicate wife. Part of him wished he could pick up where they left off; the moisture from her kiss was still on his lips, but there was no way that was going to happen.

"Run Naruto…" panted Sakura as she braced herself for another contraction.

With that said Naruto completely snapped out lustful thinking and without a second thought he ran towards the hole in the wall he had made when fighting the seibutsu. He jumped out and landed on the balcony of the apartment below him. Without even thinking he swiftly maneuvered his way back down to the ground. He ran as fast as he could to the hospital, but despite his speed time itself stopped and Naruto couldn't help but feel lost.

* * *

><p>The next thing Sakura knew she and Naruto were in front of the receptionist desk inside the hospital. Before Naruto could say anything Tami motioned him to follow her. She abandoned her post without a second glance and she quickly ushered Naruto towards the back of the hospital. Ino and Tenten watched in disbelief as they saw Naruto follow the receptionist with Sakura in his arms. Tami led Naruto into a room that was already bustling with other nurses who were taking orders from Tsunade and Shizune. The busty Hokage looked over at Naruto and motioned him over towards her.<p>

"Bring her over here to the bed Naruto."

Naruto did as he was told. He gently placed Sakura onto the hospital bed. Several nurses swarmed her and began undressing her. Shizune quickly made her way towards Tsunade to await instructions.

"I need for her to have an IV placed stat! Also prepare her for an emergency c-section Shizune."

"Yes Tsunade-sama," replied Shizune.

Her words might of said one thing but Naruto could tell by the expression on her face that she was shocked by Tsunade's instructions.

Naruto helplessly watched as Shizune began giving orders to the nurses that were hovering over his wife. He tried to catch a glance of Sakura but he could no longer see her due to the many other women in the room. Before he could say anything Tsunade placed her hand on his shoulder. She slowly guided him towards the entrance of the room.

"It's alright you can stay with her for the delivery. We just need to get her ready and comfortable is all. Until then we need to talk."

"Delivery," replied Naruto nervously.

The grudge he had against Tsunade had faded away. Sakura going into labor had taken everything he had on his mind and thrown them out the window. All he had now was adrenaline and pure fear coursing through his veins.

"Yes Naruto, Sakura is having this baby so I suggest you get a hold of yourself."

Tsunade looked over at him with a watchful eye. She could tell that Naruto was scared to death, but there wasn't any time to console him. Before she could speak the tiny slug on Naruto's shoulder spoke to to her.

"I see one of my replica's was successful in bringing you up to date Tsunade-sama."

"Yes Mei, you and Sakura worked very well as a team. Thanks to Sakura's quick thinking I was able to get Shikamaru into surgery. I've also requested a room to be prepared for her delivery."

Naruto's eyes widened; Sakura was really going to have their baby. He gulped nervously at the thought of becoming a father. He couldn't shake the fear that was engulfing him but he had to get his mind off of his current situation before he went and fainted. He decided to focus on his best friends condition to keep him from passing out.

"Is Shikamaru going to be alright Baa-chan?"

"Yes. Sakura did the best she could to heal him but she wasn't able to complete the surgery due to the hazardous condition she was working in."

"Hazardous conditions? Asked Naruto.

"Yes Naruto, Suna is under attack," answered Mei. "By the time Sakura summoned me it seemed that all was lost, but with her quick thinking she was able to devise a plan to make sure that everyone fighting for Suna had their health replenished. She gave me that task since she was already feeling exhausted. She started showing signs of pre-labor shortly after I was summoned. After I examined her I learned that her contractions were due to her using her medical jutsu to heal Shikamaru. Her body can no longer hold the baby since his Yang chakra is overpowering her own."

Naruto winced at those words. Thanks to his unique chakra his beloved Sakura was going into labor before her due date.

"Luckily I was able to heal everyone and get Sakura out of there before he could do anything to her."

"He?"

"Yes Naruto, he, as in Uchiha Sasuke."

"He's in Suna!?"

"Yes. Actually it would seem that he is the one responsible for the attack."

"You saw him?"

"We all did Naruto. Sakura summoned your clone. He was protecting us the entire time Sasuke was talking. Unfortunately he saw Sakura's condition, but it seems he and Kabuto already had their suspicions that she was with child."

"Dammit!" Snapped Naruto.

"I'm sure you still have replicas in Suna Mei," said Tsunade.

"Yes I do Tsunade-sama."

"What is everyone's current status then?"

"Everyone is fighting against Kabuto and Sasuke. All other threats have been eliminated. What replica's I have left are latched on to everyone ensuring they receive healing if needed, but I'm running low on chakra so once that happens they will be on their own."

"So there is still hope that we can defeat them."

"Yes, however Sasuke seemed very interested in Sakura and her unborn child. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes here."

"He isn't getting anywhere near my family," growled Naruto.

"You're right Naruto we're making sure he doesn't get anywhere near Konoha. I've already alerted the Anbu about the attack on Suna. The village is currently shutdown, and reinforcements from the shinobi alliance have been sent to aid Gaara. Luckily there is a base of Samurai courtesy of Mifune who are stationed just a few hours away from his village. There are a little over two thousand of them and that's not including forces sent by the Mizukage. They should both be arriving there shortly, that is if they haven't already. With both their aid Suna will be safe and secure."

"I'm relieved the alliance is lending a hand," said Naruto.

"Yes well I made sure they were all notified after I held the council meeting here. Which reminds me, Kakashi told me he spoke to you earlier today Naruto."

"Yeah, he told me what the council wanted from me, and I've complied. My clones have been placed in all the areas the council wanted them and they are in constant contact with Inoichi and his intelligence team. There is no way in hell anyone is getting inside Konoha."

"Alright then it seems all our bases are covered for now. So with that taken care of we can concentrate on delivering a baby," said Tsunade as she made her way back into Sakura's room.

Naruto reluctantly followed her back inside. He paused when he caught a glimpse of Sakura. She was still in bed only now she was wearing a hospital gown. Shizune was fixing some kind of monitor that was wrapped around her belly. Naruto walked over to her to bedside once Shizune was done.

"Are you ok Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah, it's just these contractions Naruto, they're getting stronger."

"Don't worry Sakura It'll all be over soon," replied Tsunade as she looked at the results the monitor on Sakura's belly was producing.

"You were right to just go ahead and prepare her for surgery Tsunade-sama. The baby's heart rate keeps dropping with each of her contractions."

"I'm not dilating am I."

"No I'm afraid not Sakura. Due to the baby's chakra your delivery has progressed way too fast. Your body hasn't had a chance to catch up and with the baby in distress we can't wait any longer."

"The baby's in trouble?" Asked Naruto.

"He will be the longer he stays inside Sakura. An operating room is being prepared, so we're just waiting on the ok to take Sakura in."

"Sakura-chan's going into surgery!?"

"Yes Naruto, we don't have the time to wait for Sakura to have this baby naturally. This is why she needs an emergency c-section.

"Well what the hell is that?"

"A c-section is a normal procedure where a baby is surgically removed from the mothers lower abdomen instead of her pushing the baby out naturally, but this procedure is always a last resort."

Naruto felt extremely light headed at the sound of that, it was at that moment that he was happy he was a man.

"Now just sit tight you two. I need to get ready for surgery but Shizune won't be far from your room. When I'm ready she'll escort the two of to the operating room.

With that said Tsunade left the young couple alone with Shizune.

Naruto couldn't believe how calm and collective Tsunade was. Her cool headed nature was something that Naruto needed to learn, especially if he was going to be Hokage.

"Here Naruto put these on," replied Shizune as she handed Naruto a bundle of clothing wrapped in plastic. "These are your scrubs, you need to have them on if you want to accompany Sakura in the operating room."

"Alright Shizue," replied Naruto.

"Ok then I need to check up Shikamaru's status. It should just take me a few minutes. I'll be back to take you into the operating room Sakura."

Shizune walked out of the room and picked up a clipboard left on a desk near the entrance of the room. Everything felt so surreal and Naruto couldn't believe how fast things were progressing. Before he could dwell on his and Sakura's current situation her voice caught his attention.

Sakura inhaled deeply as another contraction washed over her. Naruto turned around to look at her when he felt her reached for his hand. She squeezed it hard and the discomfort Naruto felt made him realize that he needed to be strong for the both of them.

"It's going to be alright Sakura-chan. Remember those classes you were taking? The special breathing ones."

"Lamaze breathing," panted Sakura.

"Yeah those! Just relax and breathe ok. We'll get through this together," said Naruto.

Sakura looked at him and what she saw shocked her. She knew from earlier that he was wrapped in bandages but now her lust for him wasn't clouding her thinking. Their heated encounter was behind them and Sakura could now see just how bad Naruto really was. He had a good amount of bandages wrapped around his head and left arm. He looked exhausted as well yet he still had a faint smile on his face. Sakura's contraction began to pass and she loosened her grip on his hand. She slowly pulled her hand away and placed it across his cheek.

"Naruto, what in the world happened to you? What happened to our home?"

"Oh that, don't worry about it Sakura-chan. You need to relax and focus on your breathing. Shizune said she wouldn't be gone that long."

"Naruto I need to know."

"No Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, please," pleaded Sakura.

Naruto sighed heavily. He knew that Sakura wouldn't give up and trying to keep the truth from her would only make things worse. He placed his hand gently against Sakura's.

"I was attacked by a creature early this morning. It ambushed Ino and I at our apartment. As you saw there isn't much left of our place, but I salvaged what I could and moved it to our new apartment."

"You were attacked?"

"Yeah but there were more of those monsters. They were all over Konoha. Luckily with Ino and Tenten's help I was able to learn who was actually controlling them from the shadows."

"Who was it?"

"It was that women we took into custody a few months ago."

"The Taijutsu master with the yellow eyes is the one responsible?"

"Yeah her name is Fuyu. Tenten and I stopped her from causing further harm, but Konoha didn't just suffer structural damage. We lost a few people in the fray."

"Oh my god," replied Sakura as she covered her mouth in dismay.

"Yeah if I hadn't stopped her when I had we could have lost more people."

"I can't believe it. It seems like the odds are stacked up against us Naruto. Our apartment is totaled, the baby is coming early, Shikamaru is in bad shape, and worst of all Sasuke-kun not only attacked Suna but he also knows I'm pregnant and that you're the father."

"Sakura-chan what in the world happened?"

"I was able to give everyone the antidote, but Shikamaru was still weary. He felt that things were going too smoothly. He gave me specific instructions on what to do if Suna was attacked. Sure enough his hunch was right but thanks to him thinking ahead I was safe. I finally met up with him and Temari a few minutes later. By then he was badly hurt, Im guessing it was the result of an explosion."

"Damn."

"Then things took a turn for the worst. I saw Sasuke-kun Naruto."

"He didn't hurt you did he?!"

"No but he looked at me like I was nothing Naruto. He glared at me like he did the day I tried to kill him myself. The Sasuke-kun we knew is truly gone. It's hard to believe that we were once teammates."

"..."

"Kabuto made a comment about our son too."

"What did he say?"

"That he's pleased that a new Uzumaki is being born. I swear Naruto he relished in the thought of us having a child. I know he and Sasuke-kun want our son."

"Sakura-chan I swear I'll keep you both safe."

"I know Naruto, but I can't help but be scared for our son."

"I know Sakura-chan and believe me when I say this. I will do whatever it takes to keep you two safe. Just like the Sasuke we knew is gone so is the Naruto he knew."

* * *

><p>The scene in Shizuko's shop was unbelievable. Quick movements followed by the sound of weapons clashing echoed throughout the herb shop. Inked beasts roared, and gushes of wind mixed with the sound of puppets clattering filled the room. Temari, Kankuro, and Sai were dealing with Kabuto while Naruto, Gaara, Lee, and Hinata were fighting against Sasuke. Everyone was doing their best to give their enemies hell. Naruto yelled as he threw another punch at Sasuke. He tightly gripped the chakra blade in his right hand as the tips of his weapon grazed Sasuke's cheek. The raven haired Uchiha glared at Naruto and he swung his blade with rivals face as its target. Naruto predicted Sasuke's counter attack with ease and he quickly deflect it with is other chakra blade. He pushed Sasuke back who was inhaling quite a bit of air.<p>

"Katon Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

A scalding hot stream of flames made it's way towards Naruto. Before it could hit him it was deflected.

"Hakkeshō Kaiten!" Yelled Hinata.

Her dome like attack deflected Sasuke's flame. Lee took advantage of this and darted towards Sasuke. The young Uchiha stopped his attack on Naruto but he wasn't fast enough to guard himself and Lee began to assault him with a barrage of punches and kicks. Sasuke's slow response alarmed Naruto.

"Somethings not right. Sasuke isn't moving as fast as I'd expect him too," whispered Naruto.

Hinata jumped back so that she was standing next to Naruto. She looked over at him for some kind instructions, but she received none. She silently watched as Naruto anazled Sasuke's movements.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hinata something is off with Sasuke. Does he look different to you if use your Byakugan?"

"Let me take a look," replied Hinata.

She activated her Byakugan and focused as best she could on her moving target. Lee's movements were so fast and Sasuke was darting around in an attempt to dodge them. After a few moments Hinata looked over at Naruto.

"His chakra flow seems normal but there is something different about him, I just can't pinpoint what exactly."

"Thanks Hinata. Keep your guard up, your defensive techniques are really helping!"

"Right Naruto-kun!"

Naruto quickly made his way towards Sasuke again with Hinata right behind him. Lee knocked Sasuke high up into the air. He then swiftly jumped up to meet him. Lee raised his right leg up till it was right in front of his face. He then slammed it down and it hit the back of Sasuke's skull. This swift attack sent Sasuke towards the floor, but before he could slam into the ground whips of sand flew up toward him and he was completely immobilized. Gaara had his sand turned into shackles that were clasped tightly around Sasuke's neck, wrists, and legs. Sasuke slowly looked up at Naruto. His pitch black eyes glared at him with disdain and hatred.

"It's not him!" Roared Naruto.

Everyone quickly stopped their fighting. All of Naruto's comrades looked at one another. Neither one of them knew what Naruto meant when he screamed it's not him. Kabuto began to laugh maniacally and everyone quickly snapped their attention towards him.

"You! This is your doing!" Roared Naruto.

He swiftly passed his friends and before they knew it Kabuto was roughly grabbed both cuff of cloak. Naruto jerked him violently towards him, a low growl began to rumble in his throat.

"Naruto what's going on?!" Yelled Gaara as he kept his focus on Sasuke.

"I can't believe I almost fell for this stupid charade of yours!"

"Charade? I'm afraid I have no clue what you're talking about. You'll have to be more specific."

"That isn't Sasuke!"

"Now what in the world would make you think that Naruto-kun?"

"No one knows Sasuke better than I do. He would never let himself be hit that many times. His reaction time is even faster then mine! Not just that but he would have used his Sharingan by now. We've been wasting our time fighting a fake."

"Naruto kun?" Asked Hinata.

"Kabuto used Shōten no Jutsu in an attempted to trick us!"

"Ah yes Shōten no Jutsu, I forgot you're familiar with it Naruto kun, but don't you think it's fitting? I mean you yourself aren't the real Naruto now are you?"

"..."

"Shōten no Jutsu," whispered Gaara as he looked Sasuke over.

"What in the world is going on here?" Asked Kankuro.

"Don't you remember? One of our council members ultimately succumbed to this technique. He was a spy for Sasori, but his memory was tampered with and the seal on his mind wasn't released until the time was right. It was thanks to him that Deidara was able to slip into the village to captured me."

"Yūra," whispered Temari.

"Yes. He was under Sasori's control and none of us had a clue, not even he knew it was being used until it was too late. He was ultimately used as a decoy to fool Naruto and his team when the they were trying to track my kidnapper down."

"Yeah Yūra was disguised to look like Itachi. My team and I fought him but Kakashi sensei felt that something was wrong. Sure enough when we defeated him his appearance change completely. It turned out that this technique can go beyond the effects of a shadow clone. The host that's being used has the same chakra flow, movements, and even the mannerisms of the original."

"Bravo Naruto, it would seem you aren't as stupid as you look."

"You're the stupid one for sending in a fake."

"Touche Naruto," chucked Kabuto. "Given I suspected that this individual's inability to use the sharingan would be a dead giveaway, but both Sasuke and I agreed that Suna would easily fall since most of it's shinobi were left unconscious due to Sasuke releasing the virus. Then again we weren't planning on your precious little Sakura summoning you. She has been quite a nuisance. It's because of her that Sasuke and I are in this predicament. However I must say that I am most impressed on how cool headed she was even while in labor. That is a most impressive feat. Congratulations Naruto-kun. What are you two having, a boy or a girl?"

"Shut up Kabuto! Don't dare talk about my family! Now stop wasting my time and tell me where Sasuke is!"

"Now Naruto you shouldn't act so surprised. If you yourself couldn't come here what made you think Sasuke would personally come to this wasteland? After all he does have other pressing matter to attend too."

"..."

"Naruto you idiot I may not be here physically but I'm still linked to this body."

Naruto snapped his attention towards Sasuke.

"Gaara send some more sand over here to keep Kabuto restrained. Everyone else keep your guard up."

Kabuto looked down at the floor. A wave of sand began to emerge. It grew in volume and soon it was off the floor making it's way towards his body. Once he was held down Naruto released him . He then approached Sasuke; the anger he felt was overwhelming.

"You've always done everything you could to derail my plans Naruto. I should have just killed you when I had the chance."

"You don't know how many nights I've laid in bed thinking the same thing Sasuke."

"I highly doubt that."

"You don't know anything about me Sasuke."

"And you know nothing about me."

"..."

"So then what happened to bringing me back home? I would have thought that you'd never give up your stupid little crusade."

"You lost your chance when you decided to give in to hate."

"Spare me the speech Naruto, I could care less what you or anyone else thinks of me."

"Exactly, you've never cared about anyone but yourself."

"..."

"You had everything you know that Sasuke! You were the star of our class, you had so much potential, but you were never able to see what you had. All you ever saw was revenge and without a second thought you went and just threw everything away!"

"I didn't throw anything away! The life I had in Konoha was all a lie! My real life was taken from me when your precious village decided my clan was a liability! The Third Hokage, Danzo, and that stupid council decided that my brother would be the perfect scapegoat for their twisted plan of action. Itachi took the fall for them! Their true nature was smeared all over my brother and he had to live a lie for Konoha! I shouldn't have lived but I was a bargaining tool. I was used to make sure my brother did what his superiors wanted."

"The Uchiha were planning a coup d'état Sasuke! They needed to be stopped!"

"So genocide was the correct answer right?"

"I never said that."

"But you're thinking it."

"..."

"All Konoha had my brother do that night was ensure that the rest of its inhabitants were kept in the dark. My people realized what was going on, but sadly they were too late. I want to fulfill my clans wishes. The idea of all these powerful clans under the rule of one is ridiculous! All the great shinobi villages must fall. Only then will everyone be free, and those who don't accept this new order will be disposed of."

"I can't believe you're doing this. Your brother believed in the unity of all to become one. Teamwork and compassion is what the great shinobi villages are about. Itachi wouldn't want to see you fall so far Sasuke."

"My brother left me alive for a reason. He wanted me to fulfill the Uchiha's wishes. He took the fall as a fugitive so that I could ultimately avenge the cruel hand of fate our clan was dealt. Konoha might have found a way to stop the virus I had Kabuto create, but this is just a minor setback. The important thing was to bring down Suna so that it would ensure Konoha's demise. Losing it's biggest ally makes the village weak and now I can personally bring down the village that destroy my family, and life."

"That's not going to happen Sasuke. How can you have everything so mixed up? Your brother let you live so that you could make something of yourself."

"And I have Naruto. I will be the one to change everything."

"..."

"It's useless Naruto-kun Konoha and all the other great shinobi villages will fall."

"The both of you are wrong. I won't let any of this happen."

"Oh, and how can you do that Naruto-kun? Your original is in Konoha and he doesn't have a clue about what's going on here. Given Sakura has probably already told him, but she's having a baby so talking won't be so easy. Then there's you. I'm sure you are aren't thinking straight what with Sakura in labor. So that means you won't see us coming," replied Kabuto.

"He's right you know, we're much closer than you think Naruto," leered Sasuke.

"..."

"You have to be released in order for the real Naruto to learn everything that has conspired here. However I'm directly connected to this host body. You're already behind when it comes to what's going on Naruto. You also can't leave Suna in the condition that it's in now can you?"

"..."

"That would be so selfish of you and we all know how much of a boy scout you are."

"Don't listen to him Naruto," replied Gaara.

"You know Naruto I'm tired of this petty cat and mouse game we've been playing this past year. The time has come for me to crush you, and it will be even more satisfying now because I can make sure you family is destroyed with you as well. Finally you'll know what it's like to lose everything."

A plume of grey smoke came from Sasuke's body and a slight hissing noise followed it. Naruto reached for him instinctively. A pitiful whimper came from in front him. The cloud of smoke disappeared and a completely different person was being held by Naruto; Sasuke had released the technique.

"Please don't hurt me. I had no control of my actions," rambled the man Naruto was holding.

Kabuto laughed uncontrollably. His sadistic snicker filled the room with an eerie echo. Naruto turned his attention towards him but before he could do anything the reptilian shinobi dissolved into hundreds of snakes. They slithered all over the floor and when Gaara tried to capture them the tiny snakes dissolved into a purple sludge.

"Dammit!" Snapped Naruto.

"Well that's just great what the hell are we going to do now?" Asked Kankuro.

"I don't know," whispered Naruto.

"Don't worry Naruto," reassured Mei as she slithered from underneath his cloak. She made herself comfortable on his shoulder. She looked at everyone before her. All eyes were now on the tiny slug.

"Sasuke and Kabuto were right about some things but there's one little detail they forgot about, and that little detail is me. I'm directly connected to Konoha since two of my replicas

were sent there. One was with Shikamaru and the other with Sakura."

"How's Sakura-chan?"

"She's in the hospital with your original. She's actually being taken into surgery so that the baby can be safely delivered."

"..."

"What about Nara!" Asked Temari as she made her way towards Naruto.

Everyone turned towards her. The urgency in her voice caught her off guard and she blushed profusely when she realized all eyes were on her.

"He's currently under surgery Temari, but his condition is stable."

Temari felt an overwhelming wave of relief come over her. She felt her legs begin to buckle but before she fell to the ground a pair of hands grabbed the sides of her shoulders. She looked over to see her younger brother Kankuro supporting some of her weight.

"Well that's good news," replied Sai as he placed his tantō away.

"Indeed it is but there's still more. The Hokage and the rest of the shinobi alliance have sent reinforcements to Suna. A team from the Mizukage and general Mifune are just a little over an hour away from here. With both teams Suna will be more than secure."

"Thank god," whispered Temari. "We'll be able to get back on our feet Gaara."

"Yes and Naruto will be able to go home."

"What do you want us to do Naruto-kun?" Asked Sai.

"I want all of you to stay with Gaara until the reinforcements from the alliance get here. Once you know that the village is secured I need you all to come to Konoha. If what Sasuke said is true then our home is next on his list."

"It's going to take us some time to get there Naruto-kun," replied Lee.

"It's alright I've got you all covered. Kento you can come out now," replied Naruto.

The small toad appear from behind a piece of broken furniture.

"The women you asked me to get to safety are in good hands now boss. What do you need me to do now?"

"I need you to stay with Sakura-chan's team. Once they are ready to leave Suna take them back to Konoha."

"Gotcha boss I'll see to it that everyone gets there ok," said Kento as he hopped over to Hinata. She bent down and scooped the tony toad into her hands.

"Good. Im going to go ahead and report back to my original, he needs to see what just happened here."

"Be careful Naruto-kun," whispered Hinata. "Please let Kiba-kun know I'm ok."

"I will, and guys, please be on your guard."

"Don't worry Naruto-kun we'll make sure the Kazekage and his village is fortified and secured," replied Sai.

"Once again I'm indebted to you Naruto. It was clever of you to send a clone with Sakura. If it hadn't been for you always thinking one step ahead my village would have fallen."

"It's no problem Gaara. Besides we're friends and that's what friends do for one another."

"I guess youre right Naruto. Rest assured I will do my best to make sure my village is prepared for what awaits us all."

"Yeah it looks like we're all in for one hell of a ride."

* * *

><p>Naruto sat down on a bench that was right outside the entrance of the operating room. He was told that he had to wait outside until Sakura was prepped and ready for surgery. Once she was Shizune would call for him. Naruto sat silently as he waited for the one moment that would change his and Sakura's lives forever. The palms of his hands were clammy and he nervously moved his left leg up and down. He couldn't believe this was happening. In just a few minutes he would see his son. Part of him wished he could fully enjoy this moment, but terror was still in the back of his mind. He had no idea what was going in Suna. All he knew for sure was that his clone was still there. He wondered if he fighting? Did he lose some of friends? How was Gaara? Questions surrounding Suna clouded his mind. Naruto buried his face into his hands. He breathed slowly so that he could concentrate on the birth of his child. Suddenly in the blink of an eye new memories began to fill his mind. He slowly lifted his head up and after a few seconds he knew everything. His clone had come back and all the questions he was asking himself were now answered.<p>

"Sasuke...how can you be so stupid," whispered Naruto.

Before he could dwell on his newly acquired memories the door next to him swung open and Shizune waved for Naruto to follower her.

"Naruto Sakura is ready. You can come in now."

* * *

><p>Well there you have it everyone :D I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I have to admit I had fun writing this one. You can tell I did because this update was far faster than my last. Anyhow I want to point out that I'm aware that Hinata is not able to use Neji's Hakkeshō Kaiten technique but it was what I needed and I figured it would be fine since she does use it in the games after all, but yeah I decided to take creative control with that. Also I want to remind all of you that I do have a tumblr that is connected to this story. If you want to know what's going on with updates then follow me. I'm also going to be doing an ask Naruto and Sakura from Someone else to protect on there as well. I figure this will help me with drawing more often. So if you want to ask someone from my story a question hit me up on tumblr. You can get the link on my profile page, that or just look up Konohakitten on tumblr :3 Oh and next chapter will have the birth of Naruto and Sakura's son! That is going to be so fun to write :3 Anyway thanks for reading and reviewing everyone. I really appreciate it. Have a great Easter!<p>

Kat


	29. Chapter 29: Kaito Uzumaki

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Naruto shivered upon entering the operating room. It was freezing compared to the rest of the hospital. The smell of the disinfected room and sterile tools stung his nose. It was an order he wasn't familiar with and the unknown scent triggered something inside him. He wasn't sure what the feeling was but as he approached Sakura he understood. The Kyuubi was just as unsure and on edge as he was. The two of them were displaying just how nervous and concerned they both were for Sakura, and the baby. That realization, for some odd reason, sent a small wave of relief over Naruto. It wasn't enough to totally ease the worry he had, but it offered him a sense of reassurance. It made him feel better that even the Kyuubi was nervous.<p>

Shizune placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder as she helped guide him closer towards Sakura. Naruto looked over at the group of doctors that surrounded Tsunade. She was hovering over a table shrouded in medical blankets. At first Naruto had no idea what he was looking at, but as he got closer he realized that everyone was hovering over Sakura. All of her body was covered with hospital blankets. The only part of her that wasn't hidden was her upper torso. Shizune led Naruto to a chair that was placed right by Sakura. He sat down and Shizune left so that she could join the team of doctors that were on the other side of the sheet. Sakura turned her head so that she could look at Naruto. He faintly smiled at her as she motioned him to hold her hand. They looked at one another as they had a mental conversation with each other. For a few moments neither of them said a word. They knew exactly what they were both feeling.

"This is it Naruto. We're finally going to meet our son," whispered Sakura as she squeezed his hand tightly. She interlaced her fingers with his as if she was making sure he was really by her side.

"I can't believe this day has come."

There was a hint of fear in voice. Naruto could tell she was just as scared as he was, if not more since she was the one on the operating table.

"Are you alright Sakura-chan?" Asked Naruto as he stroked his hand across her forehead.

"For the most part yes, I'm just really nervous. I hope the baby is alright. I don't know what I'd do if something happens to him. I don't want him to suffer because of the decisions I made, but I couldn't let Shikamaru die."

"Shhh Sakura-chan it's alright. You did the right thing by healing Shikamaru. Our son is going to be just fine, I mean look at who is parents are. I can tell he's just as tough as his mother and father," said Naruto.

"Naruto…"

"Just relax, Sakura-chan."

He bent down and kissed her forehead. He wished he could do more but this small gesture of love was all he was able to do.

"I'll do my best Naruto," replied Sakura.

She took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Relaxing was clearly easier said than done, but she tried none the less. Sakura look down towards her abdomen but a large sheet that was being suspended by clips that came from the ceiling was blocking her view. She couldn't see any of the people that were on the other side, she could only hear them talking. She felt hands on her abdomen but other then that she wasn't able to feel anything from the waist down. Her body was heavy and she couldn't even feel if she had legs. She tried wiggling her toes and even though she was sure she was doing it she felt nothing and that in itself was scary. Sakura continued to watch her breathing, the last thing she wanted was to have a panic attack.

"Alright Sakura I'm going to begin the procedure now. Remember you'll feel movement and pressure but no pain. If that does happen please let us know."

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

Naruto leaned over to his left so that he could looked over the sheet that was covering Sakura, but he wasn't able to see what was going on. All he could see were the doctors all standing over her. Suddenly the smell of burnt flesh hit his nose. It was an odd order and at first he wasn't sure what it was but he then remembered what Sakura had told him before she left for the operating room. That odor he smelled was that of her flesh burning. The thought was nauseating but Sakura had explained the entire produce so that he wouldn't be left in the dark.

_"I've been Tsunade's assistant in several C-sections so I am familiar with goes on Naruto. For starters the procedure itself is faster than you might think. Once I'm ready for surgery Tsunade-sama will use a special tool that shoots out a laser. With it she will burn the layer of fat that is located in my lower abdomen. Using the laser cauterizes the wound and will keep me from bleeding too much. Of course I won't feel anything but once she burns through enough fat she will stop and then she will use a scalpel to cut through my uterus so that she can reach the baby. After that she just has to pull him out."_

Sakura squeezed Naruto's hand. He looked down at her and he could tell from her expressions that she was probably feeling some pressure. He stroked a stray hair out of her face and did his best to confront her. A few murmured whispered came from behind the sheets and then suddenly a high pitched cry filled the operating room. Naruto's eyes widen and he leaned back to the side once more to see Tsunade lifting a small figure from below the sheets.

"Time of birth is 10:33am," replied Tsunade. "You did wonderfully Sakura. This little man looks healthy, if I didn't know better I'd say he was a full term baby."

The tiny infant wailed as he was removed from his warm home within his mother. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. Finally his and Sakura's son was here. From where he was at he could tell that his son had blonde hair like him, but that's about all he could see since his son was still covered in afterbirth. Naruto kept his gaze fixed on his newborn son but Sakura's soft cries snapped him out of his moment of astonishment. He looked down at her as she softly cried tears of joy.

"I can hear him Naruto."

"You did it Sakura-chan."

"Is he ok?"

"I'm sure he is, just listen to him," replied Naruto. "It sounds to me like he's got a healthy set of lungs."

"I can't believe it, he's finally here," cried Sakura.

Naruto looked over once more to see that his son was now being doted over by two of the nurses who had been waiting in one of the corners of the room. From where he was sitting it looked as if he was getting cleaned up and measured. The newborn continued to cry the entire time until a small oxygen mask was placed over his mouth.

"He's getting oxygen I think," said Naruto as he continued to watch the nurses work on their son.

"Yes that's normal," replied Sakura. "It's just to help him since he wasn't born naturally."

After a few minutes the oxygen mask was removed and the tiny newborn was quickly swaddled in fresh new blankets. A small hat was place over his head and one of the nurses picked him up and took him over towards Naruto.

"He looks just like his daddy," replied the nurse. She slightly bend down towards Naruto as she offered him the tiny crying bundle. "Here's your son."

Naruto looked at the nurse and then at the crying infant. He hesitated for a moment, he had never held a baby before and he was completely lost on what to do. The nurse had seen Naruto's expression on almost every new fathers face. She bent down closer towards Naruto and she showed him how she was holding the baby.

"Here just hold him like this and mind his head," explained the nurse as she handed him to Naruto.

He gently took his son from her and he couldn't believe what he saw. His son was indeed a spitting image of him. He even had a whiskers like Naruto. The baby boy started crying once more and Naruto brought him down towards Sakura's face.

"Oh my god, he's beautiful Naruto. He looks just like you."

"Yeah he does," relied Naruto in awe.

"I've waited for you it seems like forever," whispered Sakura.

The sound of her voice made the infants cries die down and after a few moments he stopped crying complete.

"That's right my little Kaito, stop your crying. Your mommy and daddy are right here."

"Kaito?" Asked Naruto.

"Yeah I never got a chance to tell you that I decided on a name while you were away for those three weeks. Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I think it suits him."

Sakura planted a soft kiss on her son's forehead as tears of joy rolled down the side of her face. Naruto couldn't help but tear up as well. Sakura had done so much to bring their son into this world. His admiration and respect for her had grown even more. She was an amazing human being and thanks to her efforts Naruto had a family, a complete family. Kaito began to cry once more but his parents were busy sharing a kiss with one another. So many emotions were running rampant through Naruto's mind as he lovingly kissed his wife, but he desperately tried to pushed everything aside. He just wanted to have this moment with her. He knew it couldn't last though, especially with his clones vivid memories still fresh in his mind. Sasuke's cold stare and mencing promise echoed in his subconscious, but he didn't want to dwell on those thoughts, not now. He wanted to be here with Sakura and their baby. He wanted his life to be normal for once, but it never was, nor was it ever going to be. It wasn't Sakura's nor their sons fault that their lives would always run the risk of being in danger. He was who he was after all, and there was no changing that.

He had chosen the life of a shinobi and his dream to become Hokage was coming to fruition. To be the leader of an entire village made him a target for others. A person with such power could never lead a normal life, then again Naruto was never given a chance to lead a normal life and for years he hated that fact. However things were different now because he embraced who was, bijuu and all. His parents sacrifice had turned him into the man he was now, and while his younger version wouldn't understand the gift they gave him, his older version knew exactly what their lasts actions on this Earth really meant. Life, they wanted him to live. Both his mother and father had faced hardships before his birth. His mother was a wanted prize because of the Kyuubi that was within her, while his father was the 4th Hokage, however those two things never stopped them from loving one another, nor did it stop them from wanting a family. Now Naruto had what his parents had lost, and he wanted to make sure their sacrifice wasnt in vain. He was going to live the best life he possibly could with his family, of that he sure. Naruto slowly pulled away from Sakura's lips and looked into her eyes.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too Naruto."

The three of them shared a few more moments together when the nurse politely spoke.

"I'll be taking him to the nursery now. You'll see him again once you're out of recovering Sakura."

"Yes of course Eska-san," replied Sakura. "Naruto I need you to go with Eska."

"What? Are you sure you want me to leave?"

"Yes, I'm not by myself, Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san are here with me. I'm in good hands, and our son is now in yours. Go with him."

Naruto looked down once more at his son and realized where Sakura was coming from. He leaned in once more and kissed her goodbye.

"We'll see you soon," replied Naruto as he rose from his chair.

The nurse led him outside the operating room where a small bassinet was waiting.

"Go ahead and place him inside. We'll be heading towards the nursery."

"Alright," said Naruto as he gently placed his son in the bassinet.

Eska then pushed it down the hallway. The hall they were in was rather silent, it didn't have that many people walking through it. After a few moments Naruto realized they were using the back hallway that was used specifically for medical personal. It was closed off to the public which explain why it was so empty. Finally after a few twists and turns they arrived at the hospitals nursery. The soft cries of newborn babies filled the long hallway and new fathers were standing in front of a large window that showed the babies inside the nursery. They proudly pointing out their newborns to friends and family. Eska swiped her id badge through the doors mechanical lock and beeping sound signified that the door was open. She opened it and with Naruto's help they got the bassinet inside.

"Suki-sama I'm here with the Uzumaki baby, could you please get his file ready, he needs to be examined."

"Of course Eska-san," said an older woman who was seated at a desk inside the nursery.

She looked through a list of files neatly stacked on her desk. She found the one that had Uzumaki written on it and she took it from the pile of paperwork.

"Sakura was processed very quickly, I hope everything went well?"

"Yes she's still in the operating room being stitched up, but she should be in recovery soon."

"Well that's good to hear," replied Suki as she approached Eska and Naruto. She put on her glasses to get a better look at Kaito.

"Naruto this is Damuke Suki, she's the head nurse here in the nursery. She's been doing this for over 40's years."

"Yes and I couldn't be happier, I love my job," said Suki as she looked Kaito over.

Naruto bowed towards to older woman.

"Well now isn't he adorable, congratulations Mr. Uzumaki."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Here now let's make sure this little one always makes his way back to you and Sakura shall we," said Suki as she reached inside the manila folder. "Though I must say it's obvious that he's your son just by his looks, but this is hosptial procedure."

She pulled out two plastic hospital bracelets and handed a much smaller one to Eska. She then motion Naruto to give her his right hand. He did as he was told and she clasped on a bracelet that matched Kaito's. His last name was written on it followed by an array of numbers.

"Sakura has a bracelet just like yours and your sons. Everytime he is brought into your room you must show that your bracelets match. This is done to ensure that each baby goes to it's parents. We wouldn't want mix up happening. Now you're more than welcomed to stay if you'd like because your son cannot leave the nursery until he can keep his body temperature up on his own. It usually takes most infants an hour to do this."

"I'd love to stay, but can I have a few moments with him?"

"Of course Naruto, he is your son after all," replied Suki.

Both she and Eska went further back into the nursery which left Naruto alone with Kiato. He looked down at his son who was cooing softly in the bassinet. He carefully picked him up and held him in his arms. Naruto was simply amazed that he and Sakura had created this little person. It was such a surreal moment. He never thought that holding his son would cause him to be experiencing so many feelings at once, but above all he knew he had to protect him at all costs. Suddenly Kaito began to get agitated and his soft cries startled Naruto. He nervously looked around for help but both nurses were tending to the other babies in the nursery. He felt hopeless, but after a few moments his instincts kicked in and Naruto rocked his son to keep him from crying.

"Shhh come on kid, have mercy on me," pleaded Naruto. "Are you hungry? If you are I'm sorry, I'm not your mom, but don't worry you won't be staying here long ok. You'll be with your mommy real soon, so shhh please stop crying."

After a few moments of rocking Kaito's crying died down and Naruto sighed in relief.

"We're going to have to work as a team arlight? You see I'm not exactly father material per se. I mean, I'm a big kid, I'm reckless, and loud, heck your mother still get's mad at me for not putting the toilet seat down, but, you're here now and theres no going back to that sweet pad you had inside your mom. So please just bear with me Kaito. I need to get use to all this daddy stuff ok?"

The familiar sound of Naruto's voice put the infant at ease. Kaito recognized it just like he had Sakura's. The swaying motion he felt in his fathers arms made the infant relax and in a matter of seconds he was sound asleep.

"Just look at you, not a care in the world," said Naruto as he gently stroked his son's face. "You have no idea what's going on right now, and it isn't your fault that you were born into your mother and mines drama, but I promise nothings going to happen to you or your mom. I know I just told you just some of my bad habits and shortcomings but it just so happens that your dad is a pretty awesome shinobi. I'm strong, fearless, and courageous, plus lets not forget that I'm going to be Hokage too," Naruto lightly chuckled. "I've even saved the world kiddo, and it looks like I have to do that again because you and your mother are my world. The both of you are my everything."

Naruto's thoughts went back to Sakura at that moment. He felt bad that she wasn't able to hold Kaito nor was she here right now. Before he could dwell on those thoughts he looked down at his son and he couldn't help but smile.

"I can't wait for you to meet you mom. Your first meeting with her was really short, but just wait, soon you'll learn just how amazing she really is. She's given me something I never thought I'd ever have, love, and a family. Her belief and love for me makes me a formidable match to anyone who threatens my loved ones and now with you here I'll be unstoppable Kaito. I'll keep you and your mother safe, no matter what the cost."

* * *

><p>The first thing he felt was a sharp ache in chest that shot through his back shoulder blade. He tried to open his eyes but they were still heavy due to the morphine running through his veins. After a few more attempts he was able to see his surroundings. At first all he saw was the ceiling above him. He looked down at his body and he saw that he was in a medical gown. Adrenaline started coursing through his body when he realized he was in the hospital. Shikamaru began to panic. He had no clue how he had gotten there, nor did he know what his teams current situation was. He desperately tried to remember his last thoughts. His mind was a sea of mist, it was difficult to see clearly. Suddenly Temari's fear stricken face popped into his mind. He remembered feeling her shake his body while calling his name, and after that all he saw was darkness. The creaking noise of the door to his room opening caught his attention. He turned his head to see who was coming in. A young women walked in, she was holding a pitcher of water and a glass. Her head was hung low and she was looking at the ground as she approached him. At first Shikamaru thought he was seeing things but as she got closer he realized just who it was.<p>

"Ino?" Asked Shikamaru as he slowly propped himself up in bed.

His girlfriends head snapped up and their eyes met for just a moment but before he could say a thing Ino dropped the pitcher and glass. They crashed onto to the floor as she ran towards Shikamaru's bedside. Before he knew it she threw herself onto his chest.

"You jerk! You big stupid jerk! Don't you ever scare me like that again Shikamaru!" Cried Ino.

Shikamaru winced in pain but he allowed Ino to remain on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She sobbed uncontrollably as she held him close.

"Ino calm down I..."

"I thought I had lost you Shikamaru!"

"Ino.."

"I started thinking about all the petty little things we fight about. I thought about how often I scold you or boss you around. I can be such a bitch to you sometimes, but that doesn't stop you from treating me like a princess. Today I learn just how much I take you for granted Shikamaru. I've always seen you as invincible, but today I realized that you're just as human as I am," said Ino as she pulled herself away from him.

She gently placed her hand over his fresh stitches. Your wound was so close to your heart, and one of your main arteries was served but Sakura did a great job at patching you up. There were just a few pieces of shrapnel still inside you and those were removed in a simple surgery you receive here. The doctor told me you were beyond lucky. You lost so much blood. Don't you dare pull something like this on me again Shikamaru, never again.

"You make it sound like I did this on.."

But his sentence was cut short due to Ino silencing him with her lips. She kissed him slowly, which was something she didn't do too often. Usually Ino was always hot and heated when it came to making out, but this time it was different. She was pouring her heart into this one kiss and Shikamaru wasted no time in kissing her back. They remained like that for just a few moments, mostly because Shikamaru was still in a lot of pain.

"I love you Shikamaru," whispered Ino.

"I love you too, and I'm sorry if I don't say that enough, but you know that you mean the world to me Ino."

"I know, but, I'm sure saying it is just too troublesome isn't it?"

"Nothing is ever too troublesome if it has to do with you, but don't go telling anyone I said that."

"I don't think anyone would believe me if I did," replied Ino as she wiped her tears away from her face. She smiled at Shikamaru, she was beyond relieved that he was alright.

"Now Ino I don't want you to think that I'm rushing this moment we're having right now but you need to clear some things up for me."

Ino sighed at Shikamaru's smart aleck remark. Usually she'd snap at him but right now she was beyond thrilled to hear his witty comment.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well for starters how the hell did I get here?"

"Sakura used one of her summons to bring you here."

"Please tell me she's alright."

"I wish I could but I'm not sure. She arrived at the hospital a few minutes after you did, but Naruto was the one that brought her in. It looked like she was going into labor."

"Shit."

"Shikamaru how do you get so badly hurt, and what happened to everyone else?"

"I can only tell you what happened to Temari and I. I have no idea what happened to everyone else."

"..."

"I had a hunch that Suna would be attacked since there was a time frame for the antidote to fully work. Sure enough a bomb went off near a tea shop Temari and I were in. I pushed her out of the way and I was hit by a piece of stray wood that was sent flying as sharpnel. The building was engulfed in flames and before we could escape we came face to face with some kind of freakish monster."

"Monster?"

"Yeah, I don't know how else to describe it. It was huge with pale skin and it's long arms were creepy looking."

Ino's eyes widened when she heard just what exactly Shikamaru had seen.

"Temari and I were able to take it out but it wasn't easy. I passed out right after that."

"Oh my god," whispered Ino.

"What?"

"Naruto fought one of those things earlier this morning."

"He what?!"

"Yes both he and I were attacked by one."

"What happened?"

"Well you see I was having trouble sleeping. The apartment just felt off, like I was being watched so I packed a few things and headed over to Naruto's. I figured I could stay with him until you got back. I had an uneasy feeling the entire walk there and when I got to Naruto's he was on edge as well. A few moments later something came crashing into his apartment. It was one of those monsters. It destroyed his apartment, but he eventually killed it. There were 5 in total."

"Shit," muttered Shikamaru.

"It doesn't end there."

"..."

"Naruto figured out that someone was controlling the creatures from within the village. It turns out it was that woman who attacked Konoha a few months ago. You know the crazy one whose mind I had to take over for a few moments?"

"That lady was the one controlling them?"

"Yeah I'm not too sure on the details though, I wasn't there when Naruto confronted her."

"Leave it to him to rush to things," muttered Shikamaru.

"Yeah there wasn't nothing stopping him, he was pissed."

"So do you know what happened to her?"

"Naruto and Tenten stopped her and Naruto had her sealed inside one of his summons."

"Well at least she's been taken care of, but I'm guessing the one I encountered wasn't under her control. Why the hell did I have to pass out," groaned Shikamaru as he grabbed the sides of his head. "I don't have a damn clue about what happened while I was out cold, I failed everyone."

"Stop it Shikamaru, you can't blame yourself, you lost a lot of blood. I saw how hard those monster were to take down. Naruto had to use Sage mode in order to kill them. If you were fighting one with that wound passing out was inevitable."

"I should have been better prepared Ino. It was my responsibility to take care of everyone, and I didn't fulfill that task."

"Shikamaru it's alright. Naruto had a back up plan."

"What?"

"Sakura had a scroll that held one of his sage mode clones. She was instructed to use if things got bad. I'm sure she was able to summon him. Naruto told me this clone of his is not your run of the mill clone. It's much stronger and I'm confidant that he took care of whatever was going on in Suna."

"I can't believe Naruto actually thought ahead."

"Well maybe you're rubbing off on him."

"Maybe I am," replied Shikamaru as he relaxed in bed.

"Look Shikamaru I'm sure Sakura can fill us in on what happened. Oh my god. I should really check up on her. I was so worried about you that I completely forgot about her," said Ino.

A hint of panic laced her voice.

"Then go and check in on her."

"Are you sure you'll be fine Shikamaru?"

"Yeah I'm alright, but, when you see Naruto tell him I want to speak to him when he has a chance."

"Alright Shikamaru I'll be back as soon as I know what's going on with Sakura and the baby ok."

"Sure thing, you know where to find me."

Shikamaru watched as Ino quickly left the room. He sighed heavily as he sank back into bed. His thoughts went back to his last memories. Temari's look of fear and concern was burned into his mind. He felt horrible, he had no clue what had happened to her, the rest of his team, or Suna itself. The mission was a failure and he was the one in charge of it. He hoped his comrades were safe. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to any of them.

"Dammit, not again," Shikamaru muttered.

* * *

><p>Naruto walked out of the nursery. He had stayed to watch his son go through a lists of blood test and examinations. Everything had cleared out with Kaito, he was as healthy as can be. Now all Naruto was doing was waiting for Sakura's room to become available. Part of him felt as if he was wasting time. Nothing had been done yet when it came to discussing a possible plan with his peers, but he couldn't leave Sakura alone, not just yet. He sighed heavily as he tried to fix his shirt. He was still wearing the scrubs he was given and they weren't very comfortable. It was time for them to come off. Naruto walked around the maternity ward in search of a restroom. He made his way down another hallway as he looked for some some signs on the wall that would lead him to the restrooms. He was horrible at gaining his bearings in buildings, especially from memory. Sakura would often tease him about not knowing his way around the hospital. Naruto never denied the fact that he was hopeless in this department. He was in the hospital all the time, what with it being Sakura's place of employment and with him being a very frequent patient, but there really wasn't anything he could do about it. Finally after a few moments of searching Naruto found a map that showed him where he was. Upon examining it he learned there was restroom next to the maternity waiting room and it wasn't far from where he was. He made his way towards his destination and soon he saw the waiting room coming into view. Suddenly he faintly felt a familiar chakra. He shook his head and froze. His mind was occupied with so many thoughts that he hadn't noticed the chakra at all. He waited to hear a smart remark from the Kyuubi, but he heard nothing. Instead of waiting for a reply he ran towards the waiting room to find Hanako nervously sitting alone in one of the chairs.<p>

"Hanako-san?"

"Oh my god Naruto," replied Hanko as she rose from her chair.

"How did you know to come here?" Asked Naruto as he approached her.

"Your friend Neji told me you brought Sakura to the hospital in a hurry. I rushed over here as quickly as possible. How is she? Is she hurt? How's the baby?"

"The baby and Sakura-chan are fine Hanako-san."

"Did she give birth then?" Asked Hanako as she looked at the medical scrubs Naruto was wearing.

"Yeah but through surgery, her labor was progressing too fast so she couldn't deliver the baby naturally."

"Where is she now?"

"In recovering. They told me I would be informed once she got a room, which should be really soon now."

"She had the baby," Hanako whispered.

"Yeah, and he's amazing," replied Naruto.

Hanako began to cry tears of joy and relief. She hugged Naruto tightly as she wept into his chest.

"I'm so happy they're alright. When I heard Sakura was rushed in here by you I automatically feared the worse," said Hanako as she looked up at Naruto. She let go of their embrace so that she could wiped her fresh tears from her eyes.

"What on Earth happened Naruto? How in the world did Sakura get here? I thought she was in Suna."

"It's a long complicated story Hanako-san, but I'll give you the shortened version. Sakura-chan went into early labor because she was using her medical abilities to heal Shikamaru. She was able to get him stable but her body went haywired afterwards. You see my chakra is different, it's not like a normal human beings. It's far more powerful since it's mixed with the Kyuubis," said Naruto as he reached for his stomach. "Our son has that same raw power and Sakura's own chakra couldn't get back into balance because of the imbalance the baby was causing. Because of that her labor was progressing too fast. She used one of her slug summons to bring her back home so she could get to the hospital."

"I still don't understand, why was she healing Shikamaru? What happened to him, and why didn't she just stay in Suna? I don't know much about reverse summoning but I do know that it has it's risks."

"Suna was attacked by the same creatures I encountered this morning. Shikamaru was gravely injured by one of them, but he's ok thanks to Sakura-chan. She sent him over here with one of her summons as well, but I haven't had a chance to check in on him. "

"Thank goodness for that, but what happened to the rest of Sakura's team?"

"Everyone is alright Hanako-san. They'll be arriving here once Suna receives reinforcements from the alliance."

"That's great news, but, I can't believe those monsters were in Suna as well. What in the world is happening Naruto? Why are all these attacks happening?"

"Sasuke is trying to bring down the great shinobi villages."

"What?"

"He was the one leading the attack in Suna."

"Oh god no. This can't be happening," whispered Hanako.

"I'm afraid it's true."

"What are we going to do Naruto?"

"You're going to leave everything to me. I can't have you or Sakura-chan worrying about this. I need you to help her focus on being a mom. She needs to keep her mind on taking care of the baby. I'll handle the rest."

"Naruto…"

"It's alright Hanako-san, I've got this," reassured Naruto as he smiled at her.

Hanako couldn't believe how calm and cool headed Naruto was. Sakura had told her how much Sasuke had had revealed to Hanako what he had become and how he tried to kill. He was a real threat and now he was trying to throw everyone into another war, but Naruto was sure that he could stop him, and when she saw how confidant he was she knew he could do it.

"Hanako-san can I ask you a favor?"

"Yes of course."

"Could you please head over to our apartment and get a few things for Sakura-chan. I'll be busy and I won't have the chance to do that. She was all excited about packing for the big day, but she didn't pack anything since her due date was still a few months away."

"Sure Naruto I can do that, but if you don't mind asking what will you be doing?"

"I'll be touching base with everyone. We all have bits of information but as of right now it's all scattered. We need to regroup so that we can come up with a plan of action."

"When will you be leaving?"

" After Sakura-chan is reunited with Kaito."

"Kaito? Is that what you named him?"

"Yeah Sakura-chan had it picked out but she never got to tell me. Do you want to meet him?"

"Yes, of course, more then ever," said Hanako.

"Alright just give me a second to take these off," replied Naruto as he jogged towards the restroom.

Hanako waited for him in the waiting room when she saw someone she recognized come around the corner.

"Ino," said Hanako.

"Hanako-san," replied Ino as she walked up to her. "How's Sakura?"

"I havent seen her yet but Naruto told me everything went smoothly. She's waiting in recovery for a room to become available so that she can be transferred."

"Where's Naruto?"

"He's in the restroom."

"So Sakura had the baby?"

"Yes Naruto was actually taking me to the nursery to see him."

"Thank god, I was so worried about Sakura, but I was with Shikamaru."

"Naruto told me what happened to him, how bad were his injuries?"

"Bad enough to keep him here for a few days. He'll be out of commission for a while even after he's sent home, but things could have been far worse," said Ino. "I don't think I'll ever be able to thank Sakura enough for what she did. If it weren't for her my Shikamaru wouldn't be here right now."

"I remember how badly I was against Sakura becoming a kunoichi. I was afraid I'd lose her like I lost her father, but now I understand how her choice to be a kunoichi has affected others. She's an important asset to this village. I'm starting to realize just how important her role as Tsunade's protege is. She's saved so many people's lives with her medical knowledge. I never imagined she'd become someone who has that kind of power. I'm extremely proud of her."

"You and me both," replied Ino.

Just then Naruto reappeared from the restroom. He saw Ino and Hanako talking and a wave of relief came over him when he noticed Ino smiling. He knew then for sure that Shikamaru.

"Hey Ino," said Naruto as he made his way towards her.

"So I heard you sons finally here."

"Yeah we're about to see him, you want to come with us?"

"Yes! Oh I can't wait to see him," squealed Ino.

"Alright just follow me, oh and here are the keys to our apartment Hanako-san."

"Thank you Naruto as soon as I'm done here I'll head over there."

The three of them then made the trip to the hospital nursery. It wasn't far from where they were but the trip still gave Naruto a chance to talk to Ino.

"So how's Shikamaru?"

"Physically he's doing alright. He's stable but he lost a lot of blood. He was given a blood transfusion as soon as he arrived, I'm guessing that's what allowed him to wake up."

"And mentally?"

"He's crushed Naruto. He might not show it but I know he's extremely disappointed in himself. You know how seriously he takes his missions, especially if he's team captain. I think he's having flashbacks of the first mission he was in charge of."

"Sasuke's retrieval mission," whispered Naruto.

"Yeah, he was devastated that everyone else got hurt and all he suffered was a broken finger."

"I remember, I had never seen him like that before."

"It was bad, but he got over it with time. Hopefully you can talk some sense into him, I don't want him falling into a funk," said Ino.

"Me talking some sense into Shikamaru, now that's something you don't hear everyday, but don't worry Ino, I'll talk to him."

"Thanks Naruto."

Soon the cry of infants in the distance showed they were reaching their destination. Ino and Hanako picked up their pace and eagerly made their way towards the large see through glass that covered the front of the nursery. Naruto followed behind them and as soon as he caught up to them Ino screamed with joy.

"Oh my god there he is!"

She pointed towards the middle row of infants. Hanako joined her as she looked at her new grandson.

"Oh my god just look at his little face, he has whiskers,"Ino squealed.

"He's so precious," whispered Hanako.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue. She used it to dap the corners of her eyes as they began to fill with tears again. "Naruto, he's literally a clone of you. Congradulations."

"Yeah Naruto congratulations," added Ino.

Both women sandwiched him between them as they hugged him. Eska caught of glimpse of them from inside the nursery and she rushed out to give them some news.

"You came just in time Naruto. Sakura has been placed in a room. She's ready to see a few guests and the baby. You're more then welcome to go there now if you'd like. I still have to get some paperwork for you son filled out, but I'll bring him to her room shortly."

"I think Ino and I will wait here. You go ahead of us Naruto, we can walk with the nurse to Sakura's room once she's done with her paper work."

"Yeah Naruto go see Sakura. You both need to talk."

"Thanks ladies. Where's Sakura-chan's room, Eska?"

"It's room 309 Naruto just keep going down this hallway You'll start to notice rooms a little further down."

"Thanks," said Naruto as he ran down the hall.

"That was really sweet of you Hanako-san."

"Well it's the least I can do. This is going to be one of their last moments alone for a very long time. They have a lot to talk about. I know they won't be able to resolve everything, but it's better than nothing," replied Hanako.

* * *

><p>Naruto hastily made his way down the hallway and sure enough he could see hospital rooms up ahead. He glanced at the first room he passed and saw that it was number 298. He could see that the hallway came to a dead end so that meant Sakura's room was one of the last ones. Naruto picked up his speed since there wasn't anyone in the hall with him. He saw room 309 and he bolted inside. Sakura gasped when Naruto ran inside. His entrance had really caught her off guard.<p>

"Naruto."

"Hey Sakura-chan," said Naruto.

He gave her a big grin as he took a few moments to catch his breath.

Sakura sighed, her big idiot of a husband really had a way with words. Here she was in a hospital bed fresh out of surgery and his first words to her were Hey Sakura-chan. He would never change, but the awkward behavior he displayed when it came to situations like this always made Sakura smile.

"So how are you feeling?" Asked Naruto as he made his way towards her bed side.

"I'm in a lot of pain, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Youre in pain? Isnt there stuff they can give you for that?"

"Yes but I can't take pain medication all the time. I can only take it every few hours. I'm going to be breast feeding Kaito and everything that is in my system is passed to him through my milk. I can't be on too many medications now."

"Really? I didn't know," said Naruto as he pulled a near by chair closer to Sakura's bed.

"Yes it's the same reason why I had to watch what I ate when I was pregnant. Remember I how I had to stay away from spicy food?"

"Yeah," replied Naruto.

Suddenly an awkward silence filled the room. There was so much to say but neither one of them knew where to start. Finally Sakura decided to break the ice.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?

"Sakura-chan don't.."

"No Naruto, you can't expect me not to worry. Sasuke-kun knows about Kaito, and now I'm powerless to protect him, I can't even defend myself," whispered Sakura. "We need a plan and we need it now. I don't want to lose our son,"

"Sakura-chan that's not going to happen, ok. I'm sorry for sounding like a broken record all the time, but you need to leave the worrying to me, especially right now. Your job is to take care of Kaito, you're his mother, and as his father I will protect you both, I swear it."

"Naruto…"

"Now listen to me Sakura-chan, I'm going to be gone for a little bit alright."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes, but I'm not leaving Konoha."

"Naruto you can't leave me here alone."

"I wish I could stay here with you and honestly I shouldn't even be here right now, but I wanted to stay with Kaito in the nursery, I wanted to be selfish."

"It's alright to be selfish, at least for today."

"No, I can't Sakura-chan. Kaito will be here with you soon and your mom and Ino are coming as well, so you see, you won't be alone."

"It's not the same though. I wanted today to be perfect and it's far from it Naruto, why can't we just have today?"

Sakura whimpered and tears rolled down her cheeks. Naruto's heart sank when he saw her cry, he couldn't stand to see her like this.

"Don't make this harder than it already is Sakura-chan, please don't cry," pleaded Naruto.

He wiped her tears and gently turned her face towards him.

"Look at me Sakura-chan. Today might not have turned out the way you originally wanted it too, but, it's still perfect in it's own way."

"..."

"Kaito's here, he's healthy, and you're alive. That to me is perfection."

"Naruto," cried Sakura

He leaned over to hug her. He was mindful of her condition and he held her gently as she cried.

"I saw what happened In Suna. I know the threat we're facing, that's why I have to go. I need to gather everyone so that I can get them all up to date on what happened. The alliance needs to be notified about Sasuke as well. You said we need a plan, and that's what I'm working on."

"What happened after I left Naruto?"

"..."

"Did you talk to Sasuke-kun? What did he say?"

"It's better that you don't know Sakura-chan, and I'm asking you to please respect my decision."

"I understand," whimpered Sakura as she leaned against Naruto. She stopped her crying sooner than Naruto expected. It wasn't because she had all of a sudden gotten over everything but because she was exhausted, physically and mentally. Even the sheer act of crying was draining her. Suddenly a soft knock at the door caught both their attentions. Sakura wiped the rest of her tears from her face. She then carefully tried to sit up in bed. Naruto saw her struggle and he stood up to help her get comfortable. Eska pushed Kaito's bassinet into the room and Ino and Hanako weren't far behind. Hanako quickly approached Sakura's bed side. While Ino sat by a small recliner in the room.

"Sakura honey, how you holding up?"

"Good, but now that you're here mom I feel even better."

Eska went over and checked Sakura's bracelet number. Once she verified it matched Kaito's she went over to the bassinet to fetch him. She picked him up and handed him over to her. The pink hair kunoichi took her son into her arms. She loving stroked his head as she looked him over. Naruto leaned over her so that he could get a better look at their baby.

"See I told you you'd be with your mom sooner then later," whispered Naruto.

Kaito stirred at the sound of Naruto's voice. Sakura rocked him gently in her arms. She looked up at Naruto, and he looked back at her in return.

"You re right Naruto, today is perfect," said Sakura as she kissed the man she loved with all her heart.

* * *

><p>Well there you have it everyone, Kaito Uzumaki is born This chapter really took me down memory lane. Both my son's were C-sections and this entire chapter comes from my own personal experience with both my deliveries. They were hard physically and mentally but I would go through them all over again for my boys. I hope you all enjoyed the reveal of Kaito Uzumaki whose name is actually based on my first borns name, Kaiden. Kaito also shares the same time of birth as Kaiden, 10:33am. I have told some of you through messages that a great deal of my life is in this story. A lot of the situations our characters have been placed in are based on true events. For fun I'll give you an two examples. For starters Naruto's new daddy jitters are all based on how my husband was with Kaiden. My husband had never held, fed, or taken care of a baby before so he was terrified to say the least. Also Hanako and Sakura's relationship when it comes to Naruto is based on how my mother felt about my husband when we were first dating, and the fight they had is almost exactly the same as one I had with my mom as well. So when you're reading this keep that in mind :3 Oh and I'm going to try and do updates once a month which is like way better than waiting 5 months or more, don't you think? So if you see that it's been over a month don't panic ok, I got this. Again I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm going on a mini vacation to my home town tomorrow so it'll be fun reading your reviews while I'm relaxing. Thank you for reading!<p>

Kat.


	30. Chapter 30: Bloodlines

***I DON'T OWN NARUTO***

* * *

><p>Slowly her eyes opened and she saw nothing but darkness. She was bond from head to toe as she lay in a fetal position on the floor. The air was hot and humid; her hair clung to her sweating face as she panted heavily. Her labored breathing and the occasional drip of water was all she heard. Pain engulfed her entire body, but that was nothing compared to the hatred that coursed through her veins, it was like an acid. The burning intensified as she dwelled on memories still fresh in her mind. She loathed Uzumaki Naruto.<p>

Her teeth clenched tightly together at the thought of him. His meddling in her affairs had led to the demise of her plans, and thanks to that she wasn't able to successfully complete the mission assigned to her, Sasuke wouldn't be pleased. A pitiful cry of despair escaped her lips. The thought of her beloved Sasuke being disappointed in her was Earth shattering. She lived to please him and her perfect opportunity to do so was ripped from her hands. All she wanted was to be in his good favor, but now that didn't seem possible. Fuyu was beyond furious.

Thoughts of revenge played through her mind as she desperately tried to break free, but it was impossible. Being completely bound was making even breathing difficult. Fuyu huffed in frustration. She needed a plan, and fast. As much as he hated to admit it an escape was going to be hard to pull off, so she focused what energy she had left on gathering her bearings. She forced herself to relax so she could gain crucial information from her surroundings. The damp floor, dripping water, and the humid air lead her to believe that she was inside some sort of cave, which made no sense at all. The last thing she remember she was being defeated by Naruto and his female companion. Why would she be in a cave of all places? In all honesty she was expecting to be in a new cell.

Her senses came on full alert as a bright light from in front of her pierced through the darkness. The ground below her started to move and she swore she could hear hushed voices coming from the light. Then the silhouette of a man began walking towards her. She tried to focus on the person approaching her but it was pointless. He was growing closer by the second and her heart raced with anticipation. She felt herself being lifted off the floor and onto her feet. She tried to steady herself but she was unable to due to her injuries. Her knees buckled and she braced herself for a hard fall, but it never came. Instead the man who had brought her to her feet had caught her. He slowly stood her up once more and held her steady so that she could get use to standing.

Fuyu looked at the man next to her. Some of his features were now visible thanks to the new source of light, but she couldn't make out the lower part of his face, it was covered. His unruly hair was a striking shade of silver, a color she had never seen on anyone before, and his left eye was covered by his forehead protector.

"Hatake Kakashi…"

"Oh so you know who I am?"

"Everyone knows who you are, your Konoha's famous Copy Shinobi. I must say it's an honor to be in your presences."

"You're making me blush."

"Oh believe me I'm no where near doing that, but I can if you want me too. All you have to do is untie me."

"Tempting, but I'm much more interested on who you really are Fuyu."

"..."

"So now you have nothing to say, that's quite interesting."

"I've already been interrogated by Konoha's apparent best. They got very little information from me, so you can just stop."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, you're just wasting your time."

"Time is something I don't mind wasting."

"You're an odd man Kakashi."

"You aren't the first, nor last, to say that," replied Kakashi as he helped Fuyu keep her balance.

After a few moments he let her go and Fuyu was able to stand on her own, but an escape was still impossible.

"What do you want with me?"

"I told you I'm here to learn more about you."

"So you're still going to try? Tell me Kakashi, what do you plan to do that the interrogation team did not?"

"Our Hokage has decided that special measures should be taken when retrieving our desired information from you."

"Really, and what pray tell has Tsunade decided then? She doesn't seem like the type that would use torture as a means of interrogation. Then again I wouldn't mind that if you're the one doing it."

"Well then, today, is your lucky day" replied Kakashi smoothly as he lifted his forehead protector from his left eye.

Fuyu inhaled deeply to protest, but it was too late, she was unable to move as both her eyes fixed onto Kakashi's sharingan. Her body went numb as her eyes locked onto his. Soon he would know everything there was to know about her, but Fuyu didn't care, because in that instant his sharingan reminded her of Sasuke's blood red eyes.

* * *

><p>Beads of sweat collected on her forehead as she briskly walked towards Sakura's room. She wiped her brow with the sleeve her doctors coat. The sound of her heels echoed throughout the hall and hospital staff stopped to show signs of respect as she quickly passed them by. She made a sharp right down another corridor when Shizune called out for her to slow down.<p>

"Tsunade-sama!"

"What is it Shizune?" Asked Tsunade crisply.

"I've received word that Kakashi should be done interrogating the women who was recaptured by Naruto."

"Good. Do you have any other news?"

"No,I'm afraid not."

"Once I speak to Naruto I'll be reporting to the council, after that we'll have more of an idea on what to do next."

"Yes of course."

Tsunade made another left and her apprentices room came into view. She slowed down and peered inside to find Sakura sound asleep. Ino was sitting in an armchair next to her bed with Naruto standing next to her. Kaito was sound asleep in his arms.

"Baa-chan," whispered Naruto.

"I'm glad you're still here. I was afraid you would have slipped out of here by now."

"I kept trying to leave, but that was easier said than done," said Naruto as he admired his son.

"I can only imagine," said Tsunade as she looked over at the tiny baby he held in his arms.

She couldn't help but smile as well when she looked at the baby she had just delivered, but her moment of happiness was short lived. Her village and people were in great danger and her first priority was to make sure nothing happened to anything them. She needed to ensure that this new edition to Konoha remained safe at all costs.

"We need to talk Naruto."

"I know Baa-chan, I have a lot of new information to share with you. So where do you want to talk?"

"We're heading over to Shikamaru's room. He's in a more stable condition now, so he can take sitting up and talking with us for a few minutes. We're going to need him if we want to strategize a good plan. I also sent Neji and the others there as well. I saw them in the waiting room as I was making my way over here. I assumed you sent for them."

"I did," replied Naruto. "Come on we need to get going Ino."

"Right, of course Naruto," said Ino.

She reached for the bassinet and pushed over towards Naruto. He gently placed Kaito inside as to not wake him. The infant moved around a little but before he could fuss Ino placed a small blue pacifier in his mouth. He quickly latched onto it and after a few moments his suckling slowed down as he felt back to sleep. Naruto and Ino watched until they were sure Kaito was settled. They both quietly left his bassinet behind as they approached Tsunade.

"Hanako-san isn't back from your apartment yet Naruto. Do you think I should stay behind with Sakura and the baby?"

"If I didn't require your help I'd say yes, but I'm going to need your telepathic linking techniques Ino. Besides Sakura-chan and Kaito will be safe, Baa-chan already as that covered."

"As sharp as always Naruto," replied Tsunade.

She snapped her fingers and in a blink of an eye two Anbu members appear next to her. They kept still as they awaited their orders.

"This room is to be heavily guarded. Only hospital personnel who provide proper identification are allowed inside, with the exclusions of Uzumaki Sakura's mother Hanako."

"Yes ma'am."

"Good then lets get going you two," said Tsunade as she motioned for Naruto and Ino to follow her.

Naruto and Ino wasted no time and they quickly followed Tsunade out of the room. Naruto looked back once more as he mentally said goodbye to his family.

* * *

><p>"What in the hell happened in Suna Shikamaru? You look like shit,"said Kiba.<p>

"Hey I thought hospital guests were supposed to be concerned and polite towards the patients they're visiting," sighed Shikamaru.

"Hey I'm just saying you look like crap."

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you going to be alright Shikamaru?" Asked Chouji.

"No worries I'm going to be alright, but I have no idea how long I'll be out of commission."

"You and me both Shikamaru," muttered Tenten as she looked at her broken ankle. "I can't believe everything has gone south so fast."

"Yeah well we can't afford for another attack to happen again. We are incredibly weak at the moment. If we lose the support of Suna we're done for," said Neji.

"There isn't anything else you can remember Shikamaru?" Asked Shino.

"I already told you guys what I know. Ino is the one that filled in some of the gaps, but we're just going to have to wait for Naruto to get here."

"Shit, I just can't stand waiting you know," muttered Kiba. "My girlfriend is out there and I have no way of knowing if she's ok."

"Kiba you and I know that Hinata can take care of herself. She's a strong kunoichi. I'm sure that when Naruto gets here he'll be able to tell us what happened to Hinata and the others," said Shino.

Before Kiba could say anything else the sound of several footsteps made there way towards them and shortly afterwards the door swung open. Tsunade and Shizune walked inside with Naruto and Ino not far behind them.

"Good we're finally all together. The attack that occurred here earlier this morning caught us all off guard and sadly Suna was attacked as well. Now I know all of you want to know what happened to our team that was sent over there, along with news of the Kazekage and his village. With that said I'll leave it to Naruto to fill us all in."

"Thanks Baa-chan. Now look guys I'm not going to waste time telling you all what happened in Suna. Instead I'm going to show you, with Ino's help that is," said Naruto as he motioned Ino closer to him.

"It would be my pleasure Naruto. Now everyone clear your minds and relax. I'm going to project Naruto's memories into your mind. Once I'm done with my technique we will all know exactly what happened in Suna. It will almost feel like we were there."

Everyone shared a few glances at one another but they soon closed their eyes and relaxed as told. Ino walked in front of Naruto and placed her hands on the sides of his head. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

"Alright Naruto I just need you to focus on what you want me to show everyone. Let me know once you're ready so that I can project your thoughts into everyone's minds."

"I'm ready Ino," replied Naruto.

He closed his eyes and focused on the memories his shadow clone had gathered for him. Once he had them he gave Ino the ok to begin.

"Here we go everyone," said Ino. "Just relax and try and empty your minds."

The room grew silent as everyone did as they were told. Ino relax her entire body and soon the feeling of weightless hit her. She felt herself begin to drift and sway as if she was a feather who had caught a light breeze. This was the sensation she always felt when going into someones mind. Despite her reasons for using her techniques the time it took to actually connect with someone was peaceful and it helped her prepare for what awaited her once she was inside. Her feet touched the ground once she had made contact with Naruto, and then, like it always happened, she hunched over due to waves of emotional pain. Ino felt her hosts feelings as they rushed through her like a violent thunderstorm. Sometimes she felt sadness, anger, remorse, and fear. Those were the most common feelings her hosts had.

She watched her breathing as best she could, the episodes usually didn't last that long, and so she did her best to relaxed as all of Naruto's emotions washed over her. Not all of his memories were sad, especially the ones he had with Sakura and his friends, but everyone knew Naruto had emotional scarring, but feeling it was overwhelming. Ino's heart ached, for once she had a small glimpse at how hard Naruto's life had been, and now that he finally obtained what he wanted his whole life Sasuke was ruining it. That name alone always gave her mixed feelings but this wasn't the time to dwell on them. Instead Ino took in all of Naruto's happiness, love, anxiety, and fears.

After a few intense moments it was all over and Ino slowly stood up. She took in a deep breath as she looked around her surroundings. At that moment she could not only see Naruto's memories and thoughts but she could also see all her friends mental vibrations. Ino focused on the job at hand and she concentrated on Naruto's memory. Gaining access to specific memories was like opening a locked chest, but this time it was far easier since Naruto was giving her access, a gesture she rarely saw as a Yamanaka. Once she gained access to his memories she and everyone else in the room saw the horror that Naruto's clone had witnessed. Within a few seconds everyone knew exactly what they were facing.

"Shit this is worse than I thought," whispered Shikamaru.

"I agree, the odds are stacked up against us, but I am not going to have Sasuke get any where near Konoha," replied Tsunade.

"What are we going to then?" Asked Ino.

"We need to find him and confront him before he gets here," answered Naruto.

"I agree," said Shikamaru. "We can't forget what happened when Pain paid us a visit. Our home was obliterated in a matter of moments when he attacked, and we even had extra protection seals placed over the entire village. They didn't even slow him down. If Sasuke makes it to Konoha we'll be wiped out."

"So how in the world are we supposed to find him?" Asked Chouji.

"We should look at surrounding villages like Koka. Sasuke said he was close and it doesn't get much closer than that," said Kiba.

"He could be there, but I don't think it fit's Sasuke's preferences. I'm sure he's in a highly wooded area with lots of mountain range. That sounds a lot more like his type."

"He's in Kumogakure," whispered Naruto.

"What did you just say?" Asked Tsunade.

"I said he's in Kumogakure."

"Is this just a guess or are you sure he's there?" Asked Shikamaru.

"No it's not a guess, I know for sure he's in Kumogakure."

"Leave it to you to keep important information from me," scolded Tsunade. "When in the world did you figure this out?"

"When I talked to Karin."

"Just when were you planning on sharing this with me Naruto?! You told me you talked to her but you never mentioned that she knew Sasuke's location!"

"Look Baa-chan I'm sorry I just remembered right now."

"You just remembered right now?! That is hardly what I call an explanation Naruto!"

"Would just please cut me some slack! I was attacked by Fuyu's freaks of nature right after I talked to Karin. I had been awake for more the two days and I was exhausted, then Shikamaru shows up in critical condition and Sakura-chan arrives in labor! It has been one thing after another these past few hours, so please just give me a break," sighed Naruto as he rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry I messed up ok, I've just been so scattered brained lately and when Shikamaru started describing where Sasuke could be my memory was jogged and I remembered."

"What am I going to do with you Naruto," sighed Tsunade. "As much as I want to beat you to a bloody pulp I won't, so let me just say that I apologize for being so rash. I know I shouldn't be lecturing you right now, we have more important things at hand."

"You're right we do, sorry again."

"It's alright Naruto, now then do you know exactly where in Kumogakure?"

"Yeah Karin told me all about it. Sasuke's base is at the far corners of southern Kumogakure high up in the mountains. In those mountains theres a large waterfall, behind it is a cave. His hideout where he and Kabuto have been conducting all these experiments with the virus is in there, but it's heavily laced with genjutsus."

"He was right under the Raikage's nose the whole time. He is going to be furious when he learns about this," whispered Shizune.

"That's an understatement. He will take action and we need to be sure that we have our people there to help out. If we let the Raikage know without us having a team there he will let Sasuke slip through his fingers. That man is known for letting his anger get the best of him."

"So what are your orders then Tsunade-sama?" Asked Shizune.

"I agree with Shikamaru, we can't wait for Sasuke to attack us, that would be a fatal mistake. All shinobi that were out of commission have received the antidote that I created. Thanks to that we no longer have to worry about Sasuke using his virus against us. We have all our shinobi ready to protect the village. Naruto's original retrieval team will be sent out to apprehend Sasuke. We just need to wait for Sai and the others that are still in Suna to get here."

"Should I implement emergency protocol for the entire village then?"

"Yes it's better to be safe then sorry. As soon as we are done here I want you to start the evacuation of the village."

"What's going to happen to Sakura-chan Baa-chan?"

"She and the rest of the patients will have to be evacuated to the secret tunnels behind the mountains with the rest of the villagers. The tunnels have been upgraded since Pain's attack. We now have a hospital in there along with other accommodations for villagers."

"What about the council Tsunade-sama?"

"I'll inform them that we are apprehending Sasuke. Nothing they can say will change my mind. Besides all they will be focused on is the safe evacuation of the village."

"What about supporting the rest of the alliance?"

"As much as I'd want to we just can't do that Shizune. An antidote was only sent to Suna I'm afraid. They were first priority since they are our largest alley. Unfortunately that leaves everyone else unprotected and vulnerable."

"We can't cover all our bases," whispered Shizune.

"No, we can't. I will have another meeting telecast with the other Kages as soon as I'm done with the council."

"Yes Tsunade-sama."

"Alright, now the rest of you need to get prepared as well. Some of you will be going with Naruto while the rest of you help evacuate the village."

"Yes Tsunade-sama," replied everyone.

Naruto's senses perked up before a soft knock from the opposite side of the room caught everyone's attention.

"I see that you're wrapping things up here Tsunade-sama," replied Kakashi as he peeked his head through the hospital window.

"Do you ever use the door Kakashi-sensei," sighed Naruto.

"Occasionally I do, and why are you even getting on me? You're a worse offender then I am when it comes to this."

"..."

"Kakashi, did you finish with the interrogation?"

"Yes and I learn a great deal as well."

"Well then what is it?"

"Just like you thought Tsunade-sama Fuyu's mind had seals within it that could only be unlocked by someone with a sharingan. I was able to gain access to those sealed off memories. It turns out that inside those locked memories is Sasuke's whereabouts."

"And?"

"I could only see bits and pieces of the terrain. However I'm pretty sure that he's near the southern mountains by Kumogakure."

"There's even more confirmation that Naruto's source is correct," said Shikamaru.

"Oh, so you all already knew about Kumogakure?"

"Naruto just shared some information with us that he gathered from Karin."

"Is that so," said Kakashi.

"Yes, and now with the information that you've just provided I can say without a doubt that we know where Sasuke's hideout is. Do you think he's still there Kakashi?" Asked Tsunade.

"Well I would think so. If he wasn't why bother sealing Fuyu's memories. He needed to ensure that no one would know how to find him."

"But he forgot about Karin."

"Well we all know why he did Naruto. He wasn't planning on her surviving."

"..."

"Why didn't Sasuke just erase this woman's memories if they were so important? Asked Kiba.

"Well in most cases that would be the best thing to do, but this young women has a very delicate psyche. Erasing any memories could have made things problematic, and she is far too valuable to Sasuke. She's a Kekkei Genkai user. "

"That explains the techniques she used when I was fighting her, she can manipulate metal and earth," said Tenten.

"Kekkei Genkai users are extremely rare and there's no way Sasuke would risk losing her."

"I remember Fuyu saying she was meant to be captured. If that was true Sasuke should have known that you could get those memories from her," said Ino.

"Yes, but Sasuke was relying on our methods of interrogation. He knew that Tsunade-sama wouldn't ask me to use my sharingan . Some consider using it to interrogate someone is barbaric, and in the past it has been used not only as an interrogation tool but also as torture method."

"Well Sasuke was wrong. If the sake of my village and people is threatened I will do whatever it takes to ensure everyone's safety," said Tsunade. "Now I need those of you who aren't hurt to get prepared. I will be summoning you all with your tasks as soon as I am done with informing the council and the rest of the alliance. Let's get going Shizune, the faster we can deal with the council, the better."

With that said Tsunade quickly turned around and left the room with Shizune not far behind. It was clear to everyone in the room that their Hokage was annoyed at what she had to do next. Speaking and dealing with the council was Tsunade's least favorite thing to do as Hokage, that and the mounds of endless paperwork that always littered her desk. The way the council tried to boss her around always made the busty Hokage's blood boil. Naruto couldn't help but gulped nervously, knowing his luck the two council members Koharu and Homura would still be alive to boss him around once Tsunade retired.

Naruto sighed as he listened to his friends hushed murmurs as they filled the room. Everyone was talking about what was to come and how they were going to handle things. The only one who wasn't participating was Kakashi. Instead the silver haired Jounin entered the room from the window and approached Naruto. A smile could be seen through the mask that covered his face. He stopped in front of his former student and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Congratulations on the birth of your son Naruto."

"Kakashi-sensei…"

"What?! Your kid was born?!" Blurred out Kiba.

"I told you Sakura was rushed to the hospital didn't I," sighed Neji.

"Well yeah you did, but I thought the doctors were going to stop her labor. Her due date is a few months away… shit is Sakura alright Naruto?"

"Yeah…"

"Well what happened?" Asked Tenten.

"Sakura-chan was taken into surgery. She and the baby are alright though, they're both resting in her room."

Everyone was silent, the feverish whispering had stopped. Ino looked around as everyone took in the news. She couldn't hold her excitement any longer and so she was the first to break the silence.

"Oh my god you guys the baby is adorable. Look I took a picture of him with my phone."

Ino wasted no time in giving Tenten her phone.

"Jeez Ino you weren't joking he does look like Naruto," squealed Tenten as she looked at the photo Ino had taken.

After she got her dose of adorableness from the photo she passed Ino's phone around and everyone began to congratulate Naruto all at once. It was an odd feeling, and Naruto wasn't sure how to respond. Part of him wanted to celebrate with his friends, but was this really the time? He knew the answer was yes, it was only natural to do so, but he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Thank you Kakashi-sensei, and guys, thanks as well."

"You're welcome Naruto, and please don't over think things. You aren't alone in this," said Kakashi as he made his way out of the room. "The rest of you should get prepared like Tsunade-sama said."

"Kakashi-sensei is right, we should all head out," said Neji.

"Well can you at least take me back to my room Mr. Serious?" Teased Tenten.

Neji sighed, if it wasn't Lee who was giving him a hard time it was Tenten, but he appreciated how she was trying to lighten up the mood. He grabbed the handlebars of her wheelchair and pushed her out of the room. Chouji gave Ino her phone back and together they made their way back towards Shikamaru's bed side while everyone else left. Naruto received a few more whispered congratulations and pats on the back as everyone passed him by, but there was one person who hadn't left yet. It was Kiba. He slowly approached Naruto and as he drew closer Naruto could not only sense but see his nervousness.

"Look Naruto…" said Kiba nervously.

"I...never…I never.."

"You never what?

"Dammit Naruto, why do you have to make this harder then it is?" Groaned Kiba. He was blushing profusely but he didn't let the embarrassment he was feeling get the better of him.

"I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry Naruto."

"..."

"I never apologized for all that crap that happened between us at the party. It's always bothered me….. that….I couldn't muster the courage to claim responsibility for my actions that night. Instead you and I kind of had a silence truce after the day you broke my jaw."

"Yeah, you know I'm sorry for that too right?"

"It's all good. I honestly tried to apologize several times after that but every time I tried to talk to you or Sakura I'd chicken out at the last minute. Now that all of this stuff with Sasuke is happening I can't let me fears get the best of me. My actions were uncalled for that night,I let my personal problems with Hinata get the best of me. I'm sorry."

"Kiba."

"You know I'm not very good at this stuff Naruto…"

"Neither am I," replied Naruto as he nervously chuckled.

"Look the point I want to make is that you can count on me. I won't let anything happen to Sakura or your son."

"Thanks Kiba, I appreciate that."

"Sorry again for the wait, but it's better than nothing right?"

"Heh, yeah it is."

Kiba lightly chucked as he left the hospital room. He patted Naruto on the shoulder as he walked out. Naruto watched as Kiba left. It took a lot of guts to do what he did, and Naruto gave him kudos for doing so. The sound of Ino's voice caught Naruto's attention. He looked over at the two people left in the room with him.

"Hey what's going on?" Asked Naruto as he approached his friend.

"Well now that I know Shikamaru is alright I think I should go back to Sakura's room and watch over her. If I know her she's going to freak when she see's that all she has as company are two Anbu shinobi, and lets not forget that Hanako-san is going to be a little alarmed too when she gets back."

"I guess you're right, thanks Ino."

"It's no problem. So what are you going to do?"

"As soon as Hanako-san comes back I'm getting dressed and awaiting orders from Baa-chan. Until then I'm going to stay here for a while and talk to Shikamaru."

"Sounds good."

"Thanks again Ino. Let Sakura-chan know what's going on as well when she wakes up."

"Alright I will."

"Do you need me to get you anything Ino?" Asked Chouji.

"Actually I do. I need to get my clothes and gear, as you can see Naruto and I haven't had a chance to get out of our pajamas. All of my stuff is at my place. I always have a bag that is prepacked, its in my closet. If you could get it for me that would be great. I could stay here with Sakura and just get dressed in her room," said Ino as she handed Chouji her apartment key.

"Of course Ino I can do that. I'll head over to you place right now. How about you Shikamaru, do you need anything while I'm at your place?"

"Naw I'm good Chouji, thanks though."

"Here are my keys, thanks Chouji," said Ino as she hugged him.

Chouji hugged her back and after a few moments they let on an other go. Ino then walked over towards Shikamaru. She leaned over his bed and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Don't push yourself Shika."

"I won't Ino," replied Shikamaru.

With that said left she left to watch over her best friend.

"I guess I better get going then too. Take it easy Shikamaru. I'll come back as soon as I'm done getting ready."

"Sounds good Chouji, see you later," replied Shikamaru.

"Oh and congratulations again Naruto."

"Thanks Chouji," said Naruto as he waved goodbye to his friend as he left the room. The young shinobi sat down in the chair next to Shikamaru's bed.

"What a shitty situation," muttered Shikamaru.

"You're telling me," signed Naruto as he leaned back in the chair.

"At least your kid and Sakura are alright, I know you've heard this a million times by now, but congrats."

"Thanks Shikamaru."

"I wish circumstances were different. The birth of your son shouldn't be drowned out by all this bullshit."

"I know, it's a pretty crappy situation."

"I know, and wish it wasn't."

"..."

"I still can't believe Sasuke attacked Suna. I was suspicious of an attack the entire time we were there, you know I'm always thinking about worst case scenarios, but even though I had anticipated something it was still overwhelming when it actually happened. I just happened to be at the place at the wrong time," sighed Shikamaru as she placed his hand on his bandaged wound. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect Sakura Naruto."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Look at me, I was taken out right away. Me, the leader of the group. I left everyone when they needed me most."

"Shikamaru we can't always have things go according to plan. You of all people should know that."

"I know, but it drives me insane when things like this happen. Everyone was depending on me and I wasn't able to be there for them."

"Hey don't be so hard on yourself. Besides you did protect Sakura-chan. You knew something was going down and because of that you sent her to the far end of the village. You saved her with that decision Shikamaru, and for that I will be forever grateful."

"Thanks Naruto."

"So how are you feeling?"

"Fine I guess, but I won't lie this injury is a pain in the ass."

"I feel ya Shikamaru, believe me I do," said Naruto as he touched he bandaged head.

"So be honest with me Naruto. Are you going to be able to take out Sasuke?"

"I wish I could say yes, but I never got to fight him during the war since he gave us the slip. I've continued to train since that day and I know for a fact that Sasuke has as well. It's going to be tough Shikamaru, I'm not going to be able to do this alone."

"Well that's understandable, but you do know that sending anyone other than you to fight Sasuke is just sentencing them to death right?"

"..."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news Naruto but, you and Sasuke's strength and skills are on a whole other level. It's like your gods for crying out loud."

"I know and that's what scares me. Anywhere we fight is going to be a war zone. I need to be sure we corner Sasuke in the woods were his hideout is. If the fight moves closer towards Kumogakure or if he makes a break for Konoha I can't put all my attention on fighting him. I'll be focusing on causing as little damage as possible, we can't afford to have any casualties."

"You got a point there."

"Another thing that bothers me is that once I leave to pursue him the village will be vulnerable. It's going to be up to all the shinobi we have to keep Konoha safe. I don't know what I'd do if I came back to find our home destroyed again. I'll never forget how I felt when I saw that Pain did while I was gone. You know I've never told anyone this, but, that's one of my worst fears Shikamaru. I fear what can happen when I leave Konoha."

"That's an understandable fear Naruto. You have a lot on your plate, more than anyone can imagine," sighed Shikamaru.

"You're telling me," replied Naruto as he ran his fingers through his hair. "So come on Shikamaru you gotta have a plan for protecting the village right?"

"Your faith in me is unbelievable you know that?"

"I'm being serious Shikamaru."

"I know, I am too."

"So what, are you telling me that you don't know what we should?!"

"Is that so farfetched to believe?"

"Well yeah it is Shikamaru. You always know what we should. Hearing you say that you have no idea what to do scares the crap out me."

"Alright alright calm down, you don't want to hurt yourself. Now let me think things through."

The room grew silent as both Naruto and Shikamaru focused on a plan. Neither one of them thought things could get this bad, but then again when dealing with Sasuke the worst always seemed to occur.

"Our biggest problem is that we need more powerful forces on our side. We're vulnerable with you leaving , but we aren't as exposed as the rest of the shinobi villages. If Sasuke takes them down we're screwed too."

"Agreed, so what should we do?"

"Well we need to look at the hand we were dealt and we gotta make due with what we have."

"That's easier said than done," muttered Naruto.

"It is, believe me I know, but trust me when I say this Naruto, I'll make it work. All I need is a little time to think things over. In the mean time you should be with Sakura."

"I know, I just feel like I should be doing more."

"Everything that can be done is getting done Naruto. You need to be with your family while you can. Tsunade-sama is going to be sending your team out as soon as she's done informing everyone of our current situation."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," replied Shikamaru.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading over back to Sakura-chan's room."

"Hey make sure to let Ino know that I'm alright. She tends to over think things especially when it comes to my feelings."

"Well you got that right, she is worried about you."

"Yeah well, even I can admit that I just have a bruised ego. You know I don't take my responsibilities as team captain lightly. Having something like this happen on my watch does get to me, but you and I both know we can't afford to waste time, and I'm sure as hell not going to sulk because my mission didn't go as planned."

"That's the spirit Shikamaru," said Naruto as he slapped his friend on the back.

Shikamaru's body stiffened and he shot Naruto a painful glance.

"Ouch, my bad Shikamaru," replied Naruto.

"Jeez Naruto," said Shikamaru through clenched teeth.

"I'm sorry, really I am," chuckled Naruto.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're more amused then sorry."

"No Shikamaru I really am sorry, it's just that, your face was priceless."

"Well forgive me for now sharing in your laughter," muttered Shikamaru as he gently leaned back into bed.

"Look I really am sorry, I'm just happy that you're ok Shikamaru. If something would have happened to you I don't know what I'd do. For a minute there it felt like things were normal. I know that sounds crazy, but that's what I felt when you gave me that look. You're alive, and even though you may not be happy with me right now I'm just happy to know I still have my best friend."

"Now you're getting all sentimental on me."

"Yeah I am."

"You know I can't die Naruto, especially if you're going to be Hokage. Do you honestly think I'd let you be in charge of the village alone? Without me as your advisor who knows what kind of a mess you'd get yourself into."

"You know me all too well Shikamaru."

"Yeah I do."

Just then a young nurse walked into the room. She was carrying a tray that had what appeared to be pills in a small paper cup.

"It's time for Shikamaru to get some rest Naruto. You can come by and visit again in a few hours if you'd like."

"Yeah sure of course. Let me know as soon as you have a plan," whispered Naruto as he rose from his seat.

"I always do don't I," replied Shikamaru as he gave Naruto a lazy smile.

* * *

><p>The hospital was bit busier than it had been when Naruto first arrived. Now the halls had more nurses, doctors, and villagers walking threw them. Naruto reminded deep in thought as he walked down the hospital wing that eventually lead to Sakura's room. He was still mentally beating himself up about the whole Karin fiasco. He never thought he could overlook something like Sasuke's location slip his mind, then again Naruto wasn't one for little details.<p>

"**You need to stop stressing, it's getting annoying."**

"Well look who decides to say something, where the hell have you been?"

"**I've been here the whole time you know that."**

"Then why in the world haven't you said anything?"

"**You always get upset whenever I decide to put in my two cents Naruto. Now that I've left you alone I get the third degree? You really are an indecisive brat."**

"God you stupid fox! I really need your help right now so can you please stop being difficult for once?!

"**Stop shouting, people are beginning to look at you like you're a lunatic."**

Naruto froze, he slowly looked around the hallway and sure enough a pair of nurses were whispering and pointing at him. The blonde hair shinobi blushed profusely and before they could approach him he ran down the hall. No doubt they were convinced he was running a fever which was causing him to talk to himself.

"I'm not done talking to you," whispered Naruto as he ran.

All he got in response was a snorting noise and he knew the Kyuubi was settling down for a nap. Naruto stopped running once he knew he was far enough from the two nurses. He decided that it was best not to speak out loud to the Kyuubi, this wasn't the place to do it, but before he continued his conversation with is demon counterpart he reached Sakura's room. The outside of it was guarded by the two Anbu Tsunade had left behind. Naruto nodded in their direction and they both acknowledge his presents and he quietly made his way inside. Sakura and Kaito were still asleep, and Ino sat quietly by Sakura's bed side reading a magazine. She looked away from her reading material when Naruto's presents caught her attention.

"So how did everything go?" Whispered Ino as she closed the magazine.

"Alright for the most part. Shikamaru is still thinking things through, but I left so he could get some rest. I decided to check in on Sakura-chan before I have to go," whispered Naruto as he quietly made his way towards Sakura and Kaito. "I'll be leaving as soon as Baa-chan gives the official order. How have things been here?"

"Quite, but I'm sure Kaito will be waking up soon. He needs to eat, but this little nap will is a god sent to Sakura. She needs to get all the rest she can get."

"Yeah she does," said Naruto as he admired his sleeping wife.

"Is Hanako-san back yet? I really need to get dressed."

"Yeah she came back with your clothes a few minutes ago, she left them in the restroom."

"Where is she now?"

"Some of Sakura's family was on their way here and she decided to meet them in the waiting room. I'm pretty sure she's trying to think how she can prepare her relatives for the ANBU that are on guard outside the room. You have to admit catching everyone up on all this drama is a one hell of a task."

"Yeah I'd figure the Anbu's presence would freak her out a little bit, but right now it's better to be safe then sorry."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Well I better hurry up and get dressed," said Naruto.

"Alright then," said Ino as she opened her reading material once more and began to flip through pages.

Naruto made his way towards the restroom that was inside Sakura's room. He walked in and closed the door behind him. He leaned up against the wall and sighed. He relaxed as he focused on picking up his conversation with the Kyuubi. Only this time it was mentally and after a few moments of controlled breathing and relaxation Naruto found himself in the boiler room that was flooded with water. In front of him, behind it's cage, was the Kyuubi. It's muzzle was close to the bars and Naruto wasn't sure if it was asleep or just ignoring his presence.

"So why in the world are you acting so weird? I swear you pick the worst time to give me attitude."

"**Do you honestly think I'm going to listen to you when you're talking to me like that?" Mumbled the Kyuubi.**

"Oh god why do you have to be so specific. Do you want me to kneel down before your cage? Is that what you want me to do?"

"**I'm only asking for some respect Naruto, is that such a hard request?"**

"I'm sorry ok?! I'm just frustrated, I didn't mean to be rude," whispered Naruto.

The Kyuubi opened one eye so that it could get a better look at Naruto. His young host held his low as he stood in front of it's cage. The Kyuubi sighed heavily as it stuck it's muzzle between the steel bars. He nudged Naruto with his nose to get his attention. Naruto jumped to see the Kyuubi so close to him. He watched intently as the demon in front of him spoke.

"**Protection is what all the shinobi villages need right now, is it not?"**

"Yeah."

"**I might have the solution you're looking for. However I'm not sure it will work, but it's better than nothing."**

"Alright you got my attention."

"**It may be possible to get help from the other 8 Biju, but I can't guarantee their corporation."**

"The other 8 Biju?"

"**Yes."**

"How would that work?"

"**Essentially all the Biju were once one. It is because of this that we are all mentally linked. I can try and get into contact with my brothers and sister."**

"You really think they'll help us out?"

"**They all owe you their lives, but it's hard to say if they'll come to our aid. You have to remember that I don't always see eye to eye with some of them."**

"We both helped them though, do you honestly think they're going to bring up past grudges?"

"**It's complicated Naruto, but I'm hoping that they will agree."**

"So how do we do this?"

"**You must travel deep into my subconscious, once inside I can link with the other Biju."**

"If we pull this off we can have the other Bijuu help protect the other villages, and maybe we can have them as backup for when we face Sasuke."

"**We don't need them for that, unlike you I don't have doubts about destroying that Uchiha brat on our own."**

"**..."**

**When are you going to accept the fact that you overpower him? You still have this twisted mental image that he is still better than you. I thought you'd grown a backbone by now, especially after everything we've been though."**

"Hey watch it," snapped Naruto, but before he could retaliate with a witty comeback he paused. As much as it hurt Naruto to admit it the Kyuubi was right.

"**Can you finally see what I'm getting at? You are stronger than Sasuke. If you keep doubting yourself then he will win, no matter what. You can't let him beat you before the real fight has begun!"**

"I know, you're right but, dammit this is frustrating."

"**Try to imagine how I feel with all your constant worrying and nagging."**

"I could say the same thing," muttered Naruto.

"**You are insufferable you know that," muttered the Kyuubi.**

"Look I'm sorry alright, it's just that so much is at stake here and I'm nervous as hell. I can't help but think about how things use to be between Sasuke and I. He was always one step ahead of him, but you're right. I have to remember that things have changed. Sasuke doesn't have what we have, and he never will. You and I are unstoppable."

"**Now that's the Naruto I know," chuckled the Kyuubi.**

"Alright then how do we do this?"

"**You need to get into a deep meditative state, being outdoors is preferable, but there's something else I wanted to share with you."**

"What is is?" Asked Naruto as he began to get dressed.

"**I know of a scroll that contains a very powerful sealing jutsu. With it you could gain the upper hand on Sasuke."**

"Awesome where's this scroll at?"

"**In the old Uzumaki ruins."**

"Uzumaki ruins? Where the hell is that?"

"**It's not far from here, just a few miles outside the village."**

"Wait how can that be? I've never heard of any ruins being close to here."

"**Of course you wouldn't, you were never meant to know of its existence, no one was. When your parents died your identity was to remain a secret. As an extra precaution you never told of the ruins. On top of that the villagers here had no clue either, it's a secret that only a few know."**

"Where exactly is this place?"

"**Behind the Forest of Death. The Uzumaki made sure to always hide their locations. Even though they were on good terms with Konoha they couldn't help but make it hard to reach their settlement. The forest was a form of protection. Those who step foot would fall prey to the arsenal of traps that were hidden inside. Once the Uzumaki there passed away Konoha used the forest as a training area, however it wasn't as dangerous as the Uzumaki originally had it."**

"Alright then I'll head over there," said Naruto as he carefully tightened his forehead protector. His wound on his temple was still tender.

"**Wait, there's one other thing."**

"What is it now?"

"**In order to gain access to these scrolls two Uzumaki are required."**

"Two? Where the hell am I supposed to get another one?"

"Isn't it obvious?

"Wait, you mean I have to take my son?!"

"**No you idiot, we need Karin."**

"Karin? Oh man that's right, she's an Uzumaki, but wait why are two people required?"

"**I'll explain as soon as we get to the ruins now come on get moving."**

"Right," said Naruto as he made his way out of the restroom.

Nothing had changed in Sakura's room. She and Kaito were still fast asleep. Naruto quietly made his way towards Ino and told her he'd be back soon. The young kunoichi didn't bother asking questions. She knew Naruto wasn't about to sneak off to get some ramen. He thanked her again for staying with his family, and Ino told him it was her pleasure. She reassured Naruto that she'd hold down the fort and with that said he left.

* * *

><p>Naruto found Karin's room in no time and he was pleasantly surprised to see that there weren't any guards outside of it. Naruto looked to his left and to his right, there was no sign of any hospital personnel near by. He casually open the door and closed quietly behind him.<p>

"Naruto? What are you doing in here?" Asked Karin as she gave him a questionable look.

Naruto looked over at her and he was surprised at what he saw. Karin was looking far better than she had the last time Naruto had seen her. She was wearing long sleeve cotton pajamas instead of a hospital gown and she had a book on her lap.

"Good you're awake," said Naruto as he ran towards her window. "You're looking a lot better Karin, I swear you almost look fully healed."

"I have heightened recuperative powers Naruto, you know that."

"Oh yeah I forgot, you got some crazy chakra," said Naruto as he peered out the window.

"It's not that different from yours you know, now what are you doing?"

"There really isn't time for me to explain, come on we gotta go now," said Naruto as he made his way towards her bedside.

He quickly pulled her blanket covers over her and began to pick her up bridal style. Karin responded by hitting him on the head with her book repeatedly as her other hand pulled at Naruto's hair.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing you idiot!? Get your hands off of me!"

"Shhh be quiet Karin, and would you stop hitting me."

"What do you want me to stay perfectly still as you take me against my will," huffed Karin as she smacked Naruto even harder with her book.

"That would be great, thanks Karin," said Naruto as he scooped her into his arms.

Karin gasped as Naruto picked her up into his arms. She dropped her book due to her clinging to his jacket.

"That's not what I meant you moron! Wait a minute, why are you heading towards the window!?"

"Look Karin there isn't an easy way for me to explain all of this, but, I need you to come with me to the Uzumaki ruins."

"What Uzumaki ruins? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No it's not, look just trust me."

"..."

"Please, it's important."

"You're crazy you know that," sighed Karin. "Fine I'll go with you, but you're claiming full responsibility for this. I'm not going to get in trouble because you decided to kidnap me."

"I'll bring you right back, I swear."

"Whatever, just be careful with me, I may be able to recover quickly but I'm still in the hospital for a reason."

"No worries Karin you're in good hands, now hold on tight."

Karin did as she was told and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. The crisp November air blew across her body which caused her to shiver, but Naruto's warm body made the shock in temperature bearable. She inhaled deeply as Naruto prepared to leap out of the open window. Her stomach rose up to her throat as they both fell towards the ground. Naruto landed nimbly and without haste he quickly ran away from the hospital. Karin was beyond confused, but curious at the same time. She looked over at the whiskered man carrying her and despite everything she just couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.

* * *

><p>So I'm really exited to be bringing the other 8 Bijuu into the story. It's going to be fun since my story's path is different then the mangas,so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm also thrilled that Karin is going to be helping Naruto out. I've been wanting to have her play a bigger role and now she has her chance. I'm not sure if you all noticed but I'm softening Naruto's relationship with the Kyuubi. It would seem that the birth of Kaito has even softened his heart. I also want to let you all know that I changed my mind about the Kyuubi releasing his canon name. I won't say how it's going to happen but it will.<p>

So then as you all noticed there was a little delay on this chapter, and the reason for it is simple, I've been playing Forsaken World again for the past two months. For those of you who don't know what it is it's an MMORPG and I swoon over these types of games. It has consumed all my time and once I started getting message about the next chapter I forced myself to take a break. You all don't know how hard that was for me, but I put my leveling up and gear fortifying on hold for my readers. So now you know that I am an avid gamer and while I love to write it isn't the only past time I have. I am still taking a break from FW because I have two 3Ds games I need to play, and my hubby just bought me Kingdom hearts 1.5 for the PS3, so I will be busy game wise.

On another note I will be up and drawing again and if you want to see lots of NaruSaku art, both cute and smutty then I suggest you follow me on tumblr. I have two accounts on there, you want to follow the one named Konohakitten's corner. Anyhow my youngest son broke my pen for my tablet and I have been without it since last month. My new pen should be getting here this Friday and I'll be able to upload some entries for tumblrs NSSMUT week that I was working on before my son broke my pen. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :D and if you're wondering where I am chances are I'm leveling up in one of my many games. Thanks for reading everyone!

Kat


	31. Chapter 31: Trust

**I DON'T OWN NARUTO**

* * *

><p>Karin was growing concerned as she and Naruto traveled further away from the village. She hadn't bothered asking him anymore questions since they had left the hospital and he in turn hadn't said anything to her. The cool air made Karin's face sting slightly. She couldn't help but shiver since she wasn't dressed for being outdoors, then again she didn't have any other clothes in her hospital room except for what she was currently wearing. It was flat out cold, and without even thinking she instinctively drew herself closer towards Naruto. As soon as she pressed herself up against his chest his familiar warm charka leaked into her. She was clearly embarrassed by how close she was to him, but even she couldn't deny the fact that being near him was comforting.<p>

The view in front of her went from surrounding buildings, to fields of grass, that had remarkably green and brown leaves scattered all over the ground. It was a little odd to see such green foliage, especially during this time of year, but Konoha had gotten a great amount of rain that past month. A row of trees came into view and Naruto continued onward. Karin couldn't believe that they were already far from the village, Naruto was remarkably fast. His speed however was what was making her get cold so fast. Before she could complain Naruto came to an abrupt hault. She closed her eyes for a split second, as if waiting for something to happen, but all she heard in the autumn silence was Naruto's breathing. She pulled her face away from his neck and her eyes widened when she saw a chain link fence draped in warnings signs.

"The Forest of Death," she whispered. "Alright Naruto you have some major explaining to do. What in the world are we doing here?"

"The ruins are supposed to be behind the forest," said Naruto as he gently put Karin down.

Her slippered feet touched the moist ground and she did her best to keep her balance. She was about to reach for Naruto but he was busy removing his jacket. He grinned sheepishly as he handed it to her.

"Here, sorry about this again. I forgot that it's kinda cold out here and you aren't dressed for this kind of weather, but this should keep you warm."

Karin blushed at the gesture, she quickly took his jacket and turned her head to the side to keep her flushed face from his gaze.

"I suppose this will do, besides I'm starting to get use to the fact that you don't always think things through before you act."

"Yeah I'm guilty of doing that a lot actually," said Naruto as he looked at the foreboding forest in front of him.

"So where are you getting your information from, and why do you need me?" Asked Karin as she put on Naruto's jacket.

"My source is the Kyuubi."

"The one inside you?"

"Yup, the one and only."

"What did he say exactly?" Asked Karin nervously as she eyed Naruto up and down.

"He told me that there's a powerful scroll somewhere inside the ruins, and right now I can get all the help I can get. However in order to gain access to them I need another Uzumaki's help. The Kyuubi didn't tell me exactly what we're going to do, or the exact location of these scrolls, but he did tell me he'd explain when we got there."

"So you're just going off what the Kyuubi says then?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust him?"

"Yes I do, he doesn't have a reason to lie to me. He wants nothing more than to help me eliminate Sasuke, he's not very fond of Uchihas."

"Agreed," whispered Karin. "You know Naruto logic says that I should just head back towards the hospital, but there seems to be some truth to what you just said."

"Really, so you've heard about the ruins?"

"Not exactly, but I do know a great deal about the Uzumaki clan. I use to be obsessed with the fact that I was part of that can. It fascinated me as a child and so I learned as much as I could about them, even though it wasn't easy. Orochimaru is actually the one that filled in a lot of the gaps for me. You see the Uzumaki were known for being incredibly skilled in Fūinjutsu so a scroll of this kind is something that could actually exist, but it wouldn't be pretty."

"What do you mean?"

"The Uzumaki we're the last people you wanted to have against you. Their Fūinjutsu was ruthless and countless people feared them because of it. This is why there were ultimately wiped out."

"..."

"It's sad really, but fear often has a way of blinding people's judgement."

"Yeah it does."

"..."

"So do you know any Fūinjutsu Karin?"

Karin was a little surprised by the question. Naruto was notorious for being so casual at the strangest of times.

"No, I personally don't. All I've inherited is healing abilities and powerful chakra."

"Both my parents were great at Fūinjutsu, and that was thanks to my mother. She taught my father everything she knew," said Naruto as he remember the story his mother had told him about the day he was born. "If what you say about the Uzumaki's Fūinjutsu is true then were in luck. I'm sure with it I can gain the upper hand on Sasuke."

"Well Fūinjutsu is incredibly versatile and powerful. I can see where it could help you take Sasuke out, after all it's what defeated Orochimaru when he tried attacking Konoha, remember?"

"Yeah I remember," whispered Naruto. "The Third Hokage was a really stubborn old man, there was no stopping him.

"..."

"We need to get moving, let's get going."

Naruto motion for Karin to get in position so that he could pick her up once more. She zipped up his jacket and approached him so that they could continue their journey. Naruto scooped her up once more and without any effort he jumped over the chain linked fence. He leaped up onto several large boulders and from there he hopped onto a tree branch. The air was a bit heavier and moist high up in the canopy of the trees and Karin couldn't help but remember the frightening experiences she had in this very forest.

"I'll never forget how nervous I was when first arrived in Konoha for the Chunin exams. I was utterly mortified when we were thrown in here."

"Yeah it seems like that was so long ago now. I remember being so pumped, I really wanted to show everyone what I was capable of."

"You know this is where I first met Sasuke."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he actually saved me."

"Well we both know he was a different person back then. He actually cared about other peoples well being."

"Yeah, even his chakra was different than what it is now."

"..."

"I even remember seeing you and Sakura. She was really into Sasuke back then. I could tell just by her body language that he meant everything to her."

"Back then he was her everything, and I was just the third wheel that she wanted to get rid of," chuckled Naruto. "That was forever ago though and now after everything I think she beats herself up for loving him and ignoring me, but she was young and had no clue. I mean Sasuke was the elite of our group, he was the one that every guy wanted to surpass and the one that all the girls wanted to date. Sakura-chan was just one of the many who idolized him."

"I was guilty of that as well, but how in the world were we supposed to know what he would become. I was infatuated with him from the moment I first laid eyes on him. I couldn't help how I felt towards him, and years later I found myself on his team. At first it was a dream come true but soon I learned that my blind admiration and apparent love for him kept me right he wanted me."

"He fooled us all Karin," said Naruto as he continued to travel at high speed through the thick forest.

Karin could tell that Sasuke wasn't a great topic to be discussing with Naruto. Instead she decided to change the subject.

"So then why were in the hospital? Were you hurt during the attack?"

"Well I was hurt all right, but that's not why I was there."

"So what was your reason?"

"Sakura-chan gave birth to our son."

"Oh, wow," stated Karin in awe. "I didn't expect that to happen so soon. Wait, wasn't she in Suna?"

"It's a long story," said Naruto.

"Oh, I see, well either way, congratulations."

"Thanks."

"So a son huh, what did you guys name him?"

"Kaito."

"Cute name. I bet he looks just like you."

"He does, how'd you figure that?"

"Lucky guess I suppose," replied Karin.

"Yeah well I hope he just gets my looks but is more down to Earth like Sakura-chan. I was a force to recon with when I was a kid and I don't want Kaito to follow in my foot steps."

"I don't think you're so bad, why wouldn't you want your son to turn out like you?"

"Well it's not so much that. I'd be pretty proud if he turned out like me, but I was a brat and troublemaker growing up. Not having parents and guidance really messed me up."

"I know the feeling, but I wouldn't worry if I was you. Your son has his parents, so he'll have all the proper guidance he needs Naruto."

"Thanks, I'm going to make sure that he keeps his parents too."

"..."

After a few more moments the familiar tall tower that sat in the middle of the forest could be seen in the distance. Both Naruto and Karin look upon it as it cast a large shadow over them as they passed by it. The tower was vacant now since it was only used during the Chunin exams, and the emptiness within it made it even creepier to look at. Without even a second glance Naruto and Karin left the large building behind them.

Dense foliage greeted them as they traveled further into the forest. Even the sunlight began to fade the more they progressed.

"**Slow down, we're getting close," whispered the Kyuubi.**

Naruto slowed down his pace and looked around the nearby bushes and trees for some signs of ruins.

"What's going on?" Asked Karin.

"We're getting close, keep your eyes open."

"That's easier said than done, there are so many trees and fog around us."

"Just try."

Naruto trekked through the forest as both he and Karin surveyed their surroundings. The humid air was causing a slight haze to surround them and in frustration Karin removed her foggy glasses. She quickly cleaned them and placed them on once more. Upon doing so a small rock formation caught her attention.

"I think I see something."

"Where?"

"Straight over there," said Karin and she pointed towards the rocks.

Naruto walked towards the direction in which Karin was pointing and soon he too saw a strange arrangement of rocks.

"It kinda looks like what's left of a road."

"Follow it," said Karin. "If it was indeed a road it should lead us right were we want to go."

"Right, good idea," said Naruto.

He looked on the floor for more fragments of road and little by little more and more pieces emerged. Most were hidden by overgrown plants and moss while others were falling apart from age in plain sight. The paved road became more and more intact the further Naruto walked and then suddenly from the depths of the forest more ruins came into view. Run down buildings that had been taken over by the forest sat in silence as Naruto and Karin roamed about. The entrance gates had vines dangling from its beams and Naruto was in awe to see the Uzumaki clan symbol in the middle of the gate.

"This is it, its really here," whispered Karin. "We're actually standing inside an Uzumaki settlement."

"**You need to find the Uzumaki's mask storage temple. In there is the box that holds the scroll you need. Just keep walking straight, you can't miss it."**

"Alright."

Naruto watched his step as he made his way inside the long forgotten village. Karin couldn't believe what she seeing. All her life she felt she never really belonged. Her poor mother was forced to leave her home only to die a few years later in a village that was foreign to her. Karin had only heard stories of her mother's real home, those memories were fuzzy now, but actually seeing real proof that her clan had really existed was beautifully satisfying. A shrine in front of them caught her attention, it was massive.

"What in the world is this place?"

"Apparently this is a mask storage temple, whatever that is."

"Masks," whispered Karin.

"Yeah," replied Naruto as he made his way up the stone steps.

He gently set Karin down so that he could open the large wooden doors. The door creaked and damp air mixed with the smell of earth greeted them.

"Watch your step Karin," warned Naruto.

The inside of the shrine was riddled with vegetation both on the floor and ceiling. The smell of wet dirt and decay filled the air. It had been years since a human soul had entered and the forest had truly reclaimed this once opulent temple. The floor creeked as Karin slowly walked around. Everything seemed untouched, as if it was simply left behind and forgotten. The word masks kept repeating itself in her mind. She was confident that she knew the purpose of this temple and it was invigorating. She eagerly began to search the walls for evidence to support her theory. Then behind a veil of thick vines she saw three masks covered in moss adorning the walls.

"This place is where the shinigami masks are held."

"Shinigami masks?"

"Yes they are the ultimate sealing jutsu created by the Uzumaki. It makes sense that these mask would be kept under their watch and care."

Karin slipped her arms into the vines and separated them so that she and Naruto could enter. Once inside they could see that there were indeed three demon like masks hanging on the wall.

"I've only heard stories about these things actually existing, I never dreamed there was truth to those tales."

"So what are these?"

"You don't know?"

"..."

"I should have know better, I mean we're talking about you after all," sighed Karin. "These are the physical representations of the Shinigami summon that's called upon when performing Shiki Fūjin. In most cases he's the last resort that anyone would use, the price of the users soul being forcibly extracted is a high price to pay, but the soul of the target is also consumed."

"Wait, you mean to tell me that this is the same technique that the third Hokage used Orochimaru?"

"Yes, remember we were just talking about this. The third Hokage was able to defeat Orochimaru by using Shiki Fūjin . He wasn't able to take his soul since he was already so weaken, so instead he sealed away his arms. Orochimaru would have loved to find this place, but he decided that taking Sasuke's body was a better route than retrieving his arms I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see the legend of the Shinigami states that anyone that uses Shiki Fūjin is sealed away in the demons stomach for all eternity in exchange for taking their enemies soul. These masks are supposed to house the souls he devours."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yes I do, I mean the idea of the Shinigami is crazy in itself but we both know he's very real, so why shouldn't this be real?"

"I guess you're right," said Naruto as looked at the masks. "So that means that my father's soul is in there too."

"Oh, well I suppose he is. He did in fact use Shiki Fūjin to seal half of the nine tails away after all."

"..."

"**It's true Naruto, part of me is sealed in one of those masks with your father. Like Karin said most people who use it are desperate and your father did what he could to save you. However we aren't here to deal with that now, we're here for the scroll."**

"But my father's soul is stuck in there and part of you as well. If we released your other half wouldn't you become stronger?"

"**Yes, but you aren't strong enough to release the souls that are in there, not yet at least."**

"..."

"**Now listen to me, the mask in the middle is the one that houses all of the Shinigamis victims souls, but the other two masks on it's sides are the important ones. You and Karin must make the Uzumaki clan symbol upon the forehead of the masks with your blood. Once that's done you must put them on and face the remaining mask. A door hidden behind the wall should open, make sure to take the masks with you. You'll need them once inside."**

"Naruto?"

The sound of his name being called out startled him and Naruto jumped a little. He quickly turned around to see that Karin was giving him a questionable look.

"Sorry about that Karin."

"Is everything alright? You just grew quite all of a sudden."

"The Kyuubi was telling me what we have to do next."

"He was talking to you?"

"Yeah we have a mental connection so I can hear him in my thoughts. Usually when we're having a conversation my physical body looks like I'm off elsewhere, like if I'm spacing out. Sorry if I worried you."

"Oh no for course not," said Karin rather quickly. "So what do we have to do then?"

"We need to get a hold of those two masks right there. We need to make the whirlpool symbol on the masks foreheads with our blood and afterwards we need to place the mask on and face the one that's left. A secret passage should appear on the wall."

"Interesting, now I see why you needed me. It would make sense that the Uzumaki would make it almost impossible for anyone else to gain access to their knowledge. Only someone from the clan can get to them and even then they required two people. It's sad to say but I'm sure they were well aware that their end was near and so they made it even harder to get these scrolls."

Naruto approached the wall and retrieved the masks the Kyuubi had talked about. He handed one of them to Karin who in turn gladly took it. She examined it carefully while Naruto bit the tip of his thumb. He drew the whirlpool symbol upon it and without saying a word he signaled for Karin to do the same. She hesitantly stop her examination of the mask so that she could also place her seal on it. They both looked at one another once that step was completed, now all that was needed was to put the mask on. Karin quietly muttered to herself that it was beyond dirty and it smelled of moldy earth. Naruto looked down at the mask and blew into it. A light plume of dust leaked from it and he covered his nose as the smell Karin was complaining about hit him.

"Ready?" Asked Naruto.

"As I'll ever be," replied Karin with a look of disgust on her face.

They each placed their masks over their faces and together they turned to face the last mask that hung on the wall. A few moments passed and nothing happened, then suddenly the sound of rock grinding against rock filled the room. Before their eyes a door from within the wall popped out and moments later it sluggishly swung open.

"Come on," said Naruto as he grasped Karin by the hand.

He guided her inside the darkened hallway and together the made their way quietly. Torches that lined the walls burst into flames on their own. Rows of them followed and soon a vibrant path was set for them. The hallway wasn't very long, it eventually lead them to a single room with a large stone box set in the middle.

"**The scroll is inside that box. In order to open the stone box you must hang the mask on either side of it. Upon doing that it will open and the scroll will be ours."**

"This must be it," said Karin.

"It would seem so," replied Naruto.

"So what do we do now?"

"We're supposed to hang our masks on this box here. Look there are hooks on each side of it."

"Seems simple enough."

Both Naruto and Karin hung their masks on each side of the stone box. The thick lid of the box creaked and dust leaked out of it. A small opening was created and Naruto wasting no time in placing his hands inside it. He used his strength to lift up the giant slab of stone that kept the box shut. Inside was an array of scrolls. Each of them were different colors, sizes, and categories.

"**The one we want is that black one there Naruto."**

"Ok, now what?"

"**You need to release me from my cage."**

"What for?"

"**The jutsu you need to learn is protected, and only I know how to release it. You're going to need to let me take over your body so I can do this. "**

"Why don't you just show me the hand signals needed and I'll do it myself."

"**No, it would take too long for you to learn, it's complex and right now we can't afford to waste time."**

"..."

"**Hurry up Naruto why are you just staring at me like that?!'**

"You know I may not be that smart but even I can learn hand signals pretty fast. Why are you underestimating me, releasings are so basic."

**"You're here trying to convince me that releasings are your forte when you fall so easily for genjutsu?!"**

"Hey that was ages ago, even you have to admit that I've gotten better."

**"Stop arguing with me Naruto, we're so close!"**

"..."

**"You need to learn this technique, so hurry up and let me out!"**

"Are you hiding something from me?"

"**What on Earth are you babbling about?"**

"All of this is is giving me a weird feeling. I know we're short on time but you're acting really antsy. Not just that but, I'm starting to wonder how you knew about all this Uzumaki business."

"**I've been associated with them for years Naruto."**

"Alright fine but how about you tell me what this jutsu does then."

**"..."**

"Why are you being difficult?! I thought we had gotten over all this keeping secrets stuff behind us."

"**Naruto! This isn't the time!"**

"Its the perfect time! I'm sorry but I came here because I trusted you, but now I'm not sure what to believe!"

The kyuubi's ears fell back and for a moment Naruto saw that his words had hurt him.

"**Don't lose your trust in me so easily Naruto. Please believe me when I say that all of this is happening for a reason. Everything I'm doing is for you, Sakura, and our son. Please just corporate."**

For once there was a sense of pleading in the beasts voice and even though Naruto felt weary he couldn't deny that the Kyuubi was being sincere.

"Alright I will, but on one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"Be nice to Karin, don't scare her. Something tells me she can get physical like Sakura-chan does when she gets scared," warned Naruto.

"**Fine, I'll do my best to be, pleasant," muttered the kyuubi.**

"Thanks," said Naruto.

He lifted up his shirt and placed his hand on his stomach. He turned the lock so that it could open and upon doing so the heavy metal bars to the Kyuubi's chains creaked. The large fox stepped out and sat himself in front of Naruto.

"**Are you ready?"**

"Yeah."

Karin peered inside the stone box. Her eyes widened when she saw how much hidden treasure was inside it. Who knew what kinds of secrets where locked within all these scrolls. She was about to say something when she noticed that Naruto had grabbed hold of a scroll but hadn't moved. He was frozen and he had a blank expression on his face. Karin leaned in to give him a closer look. She slowly waved her hand in front of Naruto's face but he didn't blink.

"He must be talking to the kyuubi," she whispered.

She slowly reached over to touch his face. She gently stroked his whiskered cheek when suddenly Naruto turned towards her. He grabbed her wrist and looked at her with eyes she had never seen before, they were crimson red. It was then that she felt his chakra and it was completely different. It was raw, powerful, and savage. She couldn't pull her arm away from him, he was incredibly strong. All Karin could do was lose herself in his intense stare. Then, after what seemed like forever, he spoke.

"**I never thought I would ever gaze upon another Uzumaki woman again. Kushina was the last one, or so I thought."**

The voice Karin heard wasn't Naruto's, it was much deeper and menacing then the blonde hair youths.

"You're the Kyuubi aren't you?"

He didn't answer her question, instead he let go of her wrist and he pulled the scroll out of the box. He turned his back on Karin and made his way towards the middle of the room.

"Where's Naruto?!"

The Kyuubi flinched at the demanding tone she was giving him. He did his best not to snap at her, Uzumaki women really where fearless.

"**If you must know women he allowed me to take over his body, but rest assured he's safe."**

"Why would you do that?"

"**Only I know how to remove the seal that is protecting this scroll and so I asked Naruto to let me take his body over. It makes things easier."**

Karin was taken aback, she had no clue that Naruto and the Kyuubi could share his body like this. She mentally decided that she wasn't in any real danger. The Kyuubi could have killed her by now, but instead he was focused on the scroll he held. Karin decided to push the Kyuubi for more answers. It seemed he had far more knowledge than she or Naruto did.

"How is it that you know how to remove the seal, and how did you even know about this place?"

The kyuubi growled in frustration.

"**Both you and Naruto are so persistent."**

"..."

"**I guess I better explain things as I go along, if I don't it will only lead to further nagging from you two. Now listen because I'm only saying this once. I know about this place because of Uzumaki Mito. This settlement was originally created to house her family who fled from Uzushiogakure. However it was kept secret from most people, only a few selected knew of it's existence. All important artifacts and documents were moved here for safe keeping. Once their village in Uzushiogakure burned to the ground due to endless wars people thought the Uzumaki's treasures and knowledge perished with it, but that assumption was all an orchestrated plan. Here in Konoha their secrets could be safe, and this one right here is their greatest," said the Kyuubi as he opened the scroll.**

"What exactly is it?"

"**This is a forbidden jutsu created by Uzumaki Mito herself, and we all know she was my first jinchuuriki. This is how I knew how to get here and and to release the protection seal on the scroll. I saw everything that went on within these walls."**

"A forbidden jutsu…"

"**Yes one that can take away one's ability to use any ninjutsu, and even kekkei genkai."**

"What?! Is that even possible?"

"**Of course it is, but something like this in the hands of man could be used to destroy whole villages. Wars would be neverending if anyone knew of its existence, and so it was sealed away." **

"Why would Uzumaki Mito created something so dangerous?"

"**She did it out of love."**

"Love, what on Earth are you talking about?"

"**Human's, especially women it seems want nothing more than to help those they love and in Mito's case all she wanted was to help her husband defeat Madera. Hashirama was such a fool when it came to that blasted Uchiha. All he wanted was to save him, but that was just a waste of time. Mito created this jutsu so that Hashirama could stop Madera without killing him, but that idiot Senju didn't want to use it. He wanted to bring a stop to his former friend with his own power, he didn't want the aid of this jutsu. Once he refused her help she opted for the next option, and that was sealing me within her, but in the end her efforts were useless since Hashirama died from the injuries he sustained. Mito had no choice then to seal the jutsu she had created away. She even placed a protection over it in hopes that no one would ever learn her horrible secret."**

"That's simply unbelievable. If this jutsu can do what you say then Madera would have been stopped for sure, and the first Hokage wouldn't have died."

"**Yes, but things didn't turn out that way and now I'm still having to deal with yet another Uchiha."**

"**..."**

"**Naruto is too much like Hashirama was with Madera. I know he wants to put an end to Sasuke, but the only end I see for that bastard is death. I'm not sure if Naruto can really kill his friend. Part of me fears he won't use this jutsu now that he knows what it can do, but at least I can see that he learns it. If I would have let him do things his way he would have refused to even look at the scroll, but now I'm in control."**

"_So that's what you were hiding," whispered Naruto as he looked up at the Kyuubi who was deep in a meditative state._

The Kyuubi lifted up Naruto's sleeves and performed a set of hand signals that were far too fast for Karin to decipher. He placed his hand onto the scroll and symbols that were once invisible came to life. The writing danced around and they slowly glided up onto Naruto's arm.

"How is this jutsu able to take away the ability to use ninjutsu?"

"**It's rather curious that you bring that up. You see only Uzumaki can use this, it's exclusive to this clan. An Uzumaki's natural life force, which is incredibly strong, helps disrupts the other persons chakra, so much so that they can no longer control it. This is how kekkei genkai and ninjutsu can be taken away."**

"This is incredible. I would have never imagined that Mito Uzumaki would come up with something so powerful and devastating."

"People do incredible things in order to help those they love safe. I've seen this behavior countless times in humans."

"_And yet here you are you doing the same thing," whispered Naruto._

All the writing from the scroll made it's way up Naruto's arm until there was nothing left on the parchment. Karin looked puzzled.

"Was that it?"

"**Yes it's now part of Naruto, whether he likes it or not."**

"So now what do we do?"

"**Well I could less what you do, but Naruto and I have business to attend to."**

"You're leaving?"

"**Not exactly, we need to mediate. I'll be leaving him in charge of his own body after this little conversation of ours is over."**

"Meditate huh…"

"**Yes now if you please I must leave."**

With that said Naruto's body relaxed and his head hung low. Karin walked closer over to him to have a better look. At first it looked like he was sleeping sitting up, but after a few moments his eyes opened and his vivid blue eyes showed Karin he was back.

"Sorry about all that Karin."

"No need to apologize you did what had to be done, or actually the Kyuubi did."

"Yeah and it's a good thing that he did too. I don't like to admit it but that crazy fox knows me better than I know myself. He was right you know."

"About what?"

"Me not wanting to use that jutsu. I can see why he did what he did, and despite everything I'm grateful for his actions."

"Do you honestly think you'll let Sasuke get away after everything he's done?!"

"No of course not, but there's always that part me that wants to try and save him. It reminds me of the promise I made Sakura-chan."

"Promise?"

"It's nothing," muttered Naruto.

"..."

"I am just like the First Hokage, but I refuse to repeat the mistakes he made with Madera. No matter how hard things get I need to put a stop to Sasuke."

"And you will Naruto, I know you will."

"Thanks, well like the Kyuubi said we need to mediate."

"Right, you both have important business attend too, I get it."

"I can't tell you how long I'll be gone, and trying to snap me out of my meditative state is pointless, I won't come out of it…."

"It's alright I have plenty of reading material to keep me occupied. I'll be fine," said Kairn as she turned around, the stone box of scrolls was begging to be investigated.

"You sure you want to wait for me?"

"Of course I do, I don't want to go back alone. Walking and running don't sound so glamorous right now either. I much rather hitch a ride with you."

"Alright then I'll see you later then."

With that said Naruto sat down on the ground and found himself once more in front of the Kyuubi.

"Thanks, it looks like you really do know me."

"**Don't read into things so much Naruto, I did what was necessary."**

Naruto sighed, he knew it was only a matter of time for the Kyuubi to admit that what they had now was a real friendship. However the beast was still incredibly stubborn, so until it accepted his friendship with Naruto the young jinchuuriki needed to play along so that his demon counterpart wouldn't be embarrassed.

"I know, but still, thanks."

**"..."**

"So how do I use this thing anyway?" Asked Naruto as he inspected his arm."

"**It works the same way as your key to my cage works. You can activate it mentally."**

"Awesome. So now what?"

"**Now we need to connect with my fellow biju's."**

"Alright so do I need to do anything?"

"**Not in linking with them no, but I do need you to let me do all of the talking."**

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean we all know you aren't exactly the talkative type."

The Kyuubi snorted at Naruto. The breeze from it's breath was hot and Naruto shot him back his own annoyed glance.

"**Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."**

"If you say so,"muttered Naruto.

The giant demon fox sat up and positioned himself in a meditative positioned. His breathing slowed down and Naruto caught a glimpse of relaxation and peace on the Kyuubi's face. Suddenly the boiler room they were in began to distort and change in front of Naruto's eyes. The watery floor began to glow and the new illumination made it's way around the entire room. In a matter of seconds the boiler room was gone. A never ending room filled with white had replaced the damp dark prison of the Kyuubi. Naruto looked around his new surroundings when all of a sudden a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Hey yo, if it isn't my favorite little bro Naruto."

* * *

><p>Konohamaru sighed as he carried an assortment of groceries bags up a hill that lead towards Moegi's home. His usual team sparring was cut short due to Moegi leaving early. Her mother needed her to run a few errands so the young kunoichi had to leave her training session early. Konohamaru wasn't happy with her leaving. Their team was already a member short, Udon had gotten some kind of stomach bug two days earlier, so he was at home recuperating. Konohamaru sighed heavily, they couldn't afford for all these little set backs. Something big was about to happen in Konoha and he wanted his team to be ready for it.<p>

"Thanks again for helping me out with my errands Konohamaru. I wasn't looking forward to doing my moms grocery shopping on my own."

"Sure thing Moegi, but we need to get back to training as soon as we're done" said Konohamaru as he hoisted the bags up for a better grip.

"Do you honestly Konoha is going to be attacked again?"

'It's always best to expect the worst in times like this."

"That sounds so depressing Konohamaru."

"It's the truth though. We always need to be ready to protect our home, just like Naruto nii-chan does."

"Did you ever find him?"

"No, I went by his place and it was totaled, he wasn't there. I looked around town, and I even looked for him in hospital but I had no luck."

"Do you think he's ok?"

"I heard from his neighbors that he was pretty banged up."

"He's hurt?"

"Yeah, but it makes sense though, he was the one that got rid of those monsters."

"Where do you think he went?"

"Beats me, but I do know that wherever he is he's working hard. That's why we need to do our part too, we need to help him out by protecting Konoha."

"You're right, we're chunin now, we need to be able to hold our own."

"Exactly, all we need now is to get Udon back on his feet."

"How's he doing by the way?"

"Still sick with that stomach virus. Apparently his mother was told that it was food poisoning from their doctor. She's convinced he got it from eating out with us, but I don't buy that."

"Why not?"

"Because neither you or I are sick so it can't be from us eating out, then again I can't say the same thing for Udon's mothers cooking."

"Konohamaru!" Gasp Moegi.

"What? I mean come on Moegi you've seen what she calls a good homemade meal, it's disgusting."

Moegi couldn't help but giggle. Even though Konohamaru's words were harsh, they were true.

"You're right, but she cooks because she loves her family."

"Purposefully poisoning your family is considered an act of love?"

"That's not what I mean you idiot," teased Moegi as she playfully nudged Konohamaru's shoulder. "Now come on my house isn't that much further."

Konohamaru lifted the bags once more and picked up the pace as he followed Moegi. Talking about Udon had lighten the mood a little and Moegi was beyond relieved. Konohamaru was always striving to be a strong leader. He wanted nothing more than to follow in Naruto's footsteps, and she wanted to be there to help him do that. Moegi turned to look at Konohamaru, she couldn't help but smile when she looked at him,he had grown up so much. He wasn't that annoying little brat who was always waving his ego around to anyone he met. He was more mature now. Moegi would never admit it to anyone, but she loved getting to spend time alone with Konohamaru, it was something she rarely experienced. She honestly felt that her feelings towards him were changing, but she'd never let him know that.

"Moegi!"

"Hey look its your mom."

Moegi's mother was standing outside the front door. She had stopped sweeping the front steps so that she could address her daughter. She placed her broom up against the wall so that she could approach the youths.

"Thanks you two, I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem mom, I'm glad I could help out."

"I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter, now come on inside I made some lunch."

"Alright, you'll stay for lunch right Konohamaru?"

"Oh yeah sure."

"I wouldn't take no for an answer Konohamaru. Its the least I can do since you helped Moegi."

"Thanks that would be…"

The loud roar of the village alarms stopped Konohamaru from responding. He and Moegi froze as they heard it echo throughout the village. Nearby people stood still; after a few tense moments the alarms stopped.

"That's the evacuation alarm," whispered Moegi. "Konohamaru, what should we do?"

"What we're supposed to do, we need to report to Hokage Tower."

"Right, here mom, get the groceries inside and get to the evacuation tunnels."

"Alright here hand them over."

Konohamaru obliged and handed everything over carefully to his teammates mother.

"Now get going you two."

"Alright mom, be careful."

"I will, and please, keep one another safe," said her mother as she kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Moegi," said Konohamaru.

He grabbed her wrist and gave her a gentle tug. She gave her mother one more look before running off with Konohamaru towards Hokage tower.

* * *

><p>Kaito was nursing when the village alarms went off. Sakura's heart sank when she heard them. She glanced over at Ino who was sitting by her bed side.<p>

"It looks like Tsunade-sama isn't wasting any time in evacuating the village."

"Well she said was going to do so when she finished talking to the council."

"So we're going to be moved from here into the tunnels right?"

"That's right mom, the hospital had to create new evacuation plans after Pain attacked Konoha. We now have a small village inside the mountain. It's far more equipped and convenient than before. In a way being attacked was a blessing in disguise. Thanks to Pain's surprise attack Konoha has built in extra precautions to ensure everyone's safety."

"I see, I just can't help but be a little worried. All of this is just so unsettling, but I'm glad that you and I will be together."

"Me too mom."

"So it would seem that this little man was indeed hungry."

"I know he's feeding really well. I was afraid breast feeding would be awkward but he latched on right away."

"Well he does have his fathers looks, he probably inherited his appetite too," said Ino.

All three women laughed, but Sakura's smiled slowly faded as she looked down at her son. she lovely stroked his head. His soft yellow hair tickled her hand.

"I wish I knew where Naruto was."

"I know sweetie but you know he's busy trying to figure out a good plan of action."

"Your mom's right Sakura, his only concern is keeping everyone safe. I'm sure he went back to Hokage Tower to see if there were any new0 developments. Even if he didn't go we know he's still in the village."

"I know, it's just that, I miss him, especially now."

"Well that's to be expected Sakura. What you're feeling is only natural, you just had a child, and your partner isn't here. Hormones just have a way of complicating things."

"Yeah Sakura, don't beat yourself up because you miss Naruto. I'd feel the same way if I were in your shoes. Just focus on getting your energy back."

"I'm trying honestly I am, but his impending confrontation with Sasuke-kun keeps creeping into my mind."

"Relax Sakura, do you honestly think Naruto is going to let Sasuke beat him?"

"No…"

"You're damn right no! You and I both know that Naruto is going make sure Konoha remains safe, no matter what."

"I agree with Ino,' added Hanako. "If anyone is going to save the day, its Naruto Sakura."

"Thanks you two," whispered Sakura. "Did you hear that Kaito your daddy is out there doing his best to save us all."

* * *

><p>AN

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was on hold for almost a month thanks to my youngest son. He split his juice on my laptop keyboard, which permanently fried some of the keys. So I couldn't type on my laptop since a good amount of the keys don't work. I had to order a wireless keyboard and the wait took forever. I couldn't go to the library because taking two kids under the age of 5 to a library is no easy task. They'd be running all over the place and I wouldn't be able to focus on my work. Alas this happens because all my family lives out of town ;/

So then I added a few things from the manga in this chapter. For starters there's the Uzumaki mask shrine. When I read about it in he manga I knew I wanted to add it to my story some how. Then there are the Biju. Now given they weren't in this chapter but they will be in the next one :D

Anyway the point is that I had to wait for the wireless keyboard to get here so that's why this chapter was late. Now I can type again and I'm hoping to get my laptop looked at soon. Now then I want to give a big encouraging virtual hug to all my fellow NS shippers. These pairing wars are getting bad, what with the end of the manga and the upcoming movie. We all need to be confident in our ship :3 No matter what happens!

Kat


	32. Chapter 32: Family reunion

**"I DON'T KNOW NARUTO"**

* * *

><p>Sai led his team through the halls that led to Gaara's office. Reinforcements from the Mizukage, and the Samurai leader Mifune, had arrived, and with their help order was finally being reached in Suna. It had been hours since the attacks and so far it didn't look like Sasuke was coming back, but the desert village had suffered greatly and had it not been for certain events far worse could have befallen them. Sai stopped and knocked on the door, a few moments later it swung opened and he and his team entered. Inside Gaara's office were his advisers, his two older siblings, Mifune, and one of the beautiful Mizukage's bodyguards, Chōjūrō. Gaara acknowledged Sai and every as they entered the room. He then looked around at everyone as they waited for him to address them.<p>

"I want to thank everyone here for the efforts that they have be bestowed on my village. Without the help of Konoha, Tetsu no Kuni, and Kirigakure my village would still be in disarray. You all have my utmost gratitude, thank you."

"If you ask me you've handle everything very well so far Gaara-sama, the Mizukage's reinforcements are just here to help what you've started."

"Thank you Chōjūrō, but I've had a great deal of help, I can't take credit for it all. Naruto is the person who should be thanked."

"Ah yes Uzumaki Naruto, he just has a way of popping up in the most curious of situations, now doesn't he," said Mifune.

"Naruto is really an interesting friend, try as I may I still haven't quite figured out how he does it all," said Sai.

"I think at some point we've all tried doing the same same thing Sai," added Garra.

"Now Gaara-sama, like Chōjūrō stated you have shinobi, and samurai, at your disposal. We're here to ensure that your villagers are safe. The shinobi alliance is in agreement with this decision. We aren't very happy to know that Sasuke is once again causing problems. I'll never forget the mayhem he caused during the last Gokage Kaidan. He's a menace that needs to be stopped before he does more damage. We need to report to the rest of the alliance, there could be new developments that we aren't aware of. Once that's done we can get down to business and further discuss what needs to be done."

'Agreed,' said Gaara "Sai you and your team can head back home. Konoha needs it's finest shinobi as well. Please thank Naruto again for me, I hope that Sakura, and Shikamaru are in good health as well."

"I will relay that message to him Kazekage," said Sai.

"We'll see you out," said Temari and she and Kankuro approached them.

Sai nodded and he and the rest of his team silently followed the Suna siblings out of the office. They walked a little further down the hall and Temari stopped near an area that was out of the way of the hustle and bustle within the building. She turned around and faced everyone.

"I want you all to know that I agree with everything that my brother said. We really owe you all a great deal. Please give Naruto our thanks as well."

"Yeah Temari is right, this is the second time Konoha has swooped in to save us. Naruto also saved my little brother, and I would have been a goner had it not been for Sakura's medical skills. I really do hope she and Shikamaru are alright."

"As do I, Nara saved me after all, and I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to him. You all need to make sure that what happened here does not accrue back in Konoha."

"Don't worry Temari-san we'll do everything in our power to make sure our home remains safe. Just don't lost your focus, you must also be on your guard."

"Of course."

"Sai-san is right, you mustn't let this waiver your spirit Temari-san. You need to use your feelings to fuel your fighting spirit of youth," proclaimed Lee.

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind," replied Temari.

"Sai-kun, are we ready to leave? This is little toad keeps squirming around,' said Hinata as she held her hands out. In the middle of her palms was Kento.

"We don't have time to spare sweetie, this is why I'm so antsy. I need to get all of you back home."

"Oh yes of course, I understand," replied Hinata nervously.

"Well we won't keep you all any longer. Have a safe journey and give them hell," said Temari.

"Alright then it's time for all of us to get back home. Hold on to one another, and we'll be back in Konoha in no time," croaked Kento.

* * *

><p>Kiba and Shino worked along side Neji as they help civilians evacuate. The evacuation alarms had gone off again which meant that Konoha's villagers needed to be escorted off of the streets as soon as possible. By now all that was left were the elderly who were too old to move on their own or too stubborn to leave their homes behind. Everything was going smoothly and once there were done safely evacuating everyone Kiba and his friends had orders to secure numerous places around the village gates. The section of Konoha they were overseeing was quickly becoming empty and they were ready to head over to their next section when a very familiar scent caught Kiba's attention. Akamaru caught the scent as well and he barked happily at his master.<p>

That sweet scent of tea leaves and lavender made his heart skip a beat and he left his post without even saying a word to Shino or Neji. However they noticed his quick departure and they nodded to one another as they quickly went after him. Akamaru barked with joy as he made his way towards a plume of smoke that appeared in the center of the market place. He leaped inside it and Hinata gasped as the large ninken jumped on her. She giggled as she held the large dogs slobbering kisses at bay.

"It's good to see you too Akamaru, but what in the world are you doing here?"

"Hinata!" Yelled Kiba as he scooped her up into his arms.

"Kiba-kun!" Squealed Hinata.

Her face was flushed as Kiba showered her with affection. He nuzzled his face in her raven hair, and he hugged her tightly. His warm embrace caused her to blush even further, but she couldn't help but smile as she returned the hug.

"Thank god you're back, I was worried sick about you," whispered Kiba as he lightly kissed her left cheek.

"It was never my intention to make you worry, I'm sorry Kiba-kun, but I'm alright and our mission was a success," said Hinata as she returned the kiss. She then looked around and saw that not only was Kiba there, but so where Neji, and Shino. "Nii-san, Shino-kun, but what are you all doing here? How could you have possibly know we were coming?"

"We just happen to be in the area Hinata, we're currently evacuating what civilians are left in the village," said Shino. "It's a good thing that you all appeared here instead of somewhere else, we actually have your new orders for you."

"New orders?"

"Yes Tsunade made sure that all of us got the same message for you guys. It will save you the trip over to Hokage Tower. Right now we need everyone doing their part to get Konoha ready."

"So what are we doing now Shino-kun?"

"You'll be with us, we're in charge of evacuations for central and southern Konoha. There are other teams ensuring that successful evacuations happen in northern, eastern, and western Konoha too. Now first we need to make sure that there aren't any civilians left in our designated regions. After that we are to secure the front gates as well as surrounding areas of the village walls. Naruto has created several clones that are outside our borders. If anyone or anything comes within Konoha's territory Naruto will be informed. It's our job to provide support if anything gets by his clones."

"Wait, was the village attacked while we were gone? Is that why Tsunade-sama is evacuating the villagers?"

"Yes," said Shino.

"Is everyone alright?"

"I heard some civilians were lost in an explosion. Tenten also broke her ankle during her encounter with the person responsible for all of this."

"Tenten,' whispered Lee. "Who is the one responsible!"

"It was the very women who you helped capture a few months ago. Remember the taijutsu master?"

"It was her?" Asked Lee in astonishment.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama shared everything with us once we were officially briefed," said Neji.

"What about Sakura-san, Shikamaru-san, and Naruto-kun are they alright?"

"They're doing alright, Shikamaru is recovery and Naruto is with Sakura, she actually gave birth to a healthy little boy," said Kiba.

"Oh thank goodness, I was starting to get really worried. At one point things weren't looking too good for us. I'm very happy that they're doing well."

"So how are things in Suna?" Asked Neji.

"They lost a good amount of shinobi due to the virus. It's strange really, they weren't dead but they were knocked out unconscious all at once, and all their chakra reserved were almost depleted. That happened moments before the actual attack. Luckily Sakura was able to heal them. Before we left Gaara-sama was about to consult the alliance with Chōjūrō and Mifune"said Sai. "I think it's safe to say that Suna will be just fine."

"That's great news," said Kiba as he wrapped her arm around Hinata.

"It is, I'll go ahead and be the only one that reports to Tsunade-sama, she needs to know what's happening back in Suan. The rest of you can stay here and start helping out."

"Alright then Sai well do that," said Lee.

"When you're done reporting head for the front gates, we'll meet up there," said Neji.

"Alright, I'll see you all later."

With that said Sai took off running towards Hokage tower leaving behind the rest of his friends. Kento also decided it was time for him to leave as well. He said his goodbyes to everyone and in a few moments he was gone, a plume of white smoke was all he left behind.

"So then Neji what area's are left to evacuate?" Asked Lee.

"We need to check one more area here in the central region. Then from there all that's left is the southern part of town. Once that's done we can report to the front gates."

"The southern part of Konoha is where Kurenai-sensei lives. Do you think she's already evacuated Kiba-kun?"

"I'm sure she has but if she hasn't we'll be there to help her get to safety. Look guys why don't you four go ahead and take care of things here while Hinata and I evacuate the southern part of Konoha. It's not a very large area to cover and with my nose and Hinata's eyes we can evacuate everyone in no time."

"Alright then go ahead and do that, we'll see you all later then," said Shino

The five friends parted ways right after that. Hinata and Kiba made their way towards the south part of the village while everyone else checked out another residential area in central Konoha. Hinata followed Kiba as they traveled from rooftop to rooftop when something in the nearby scenery caught her attention. To her left was what remained of Naruto's apartment complex. It was destroyed as was the building in front of it.

"Naruto-kun's home was destroyed during the attack?"

"Yeah, he was singled out. All of this happened in the wee hours of the morning."

"How horrible, poor Naruto-kun, his home is gone."

"Yeah he was pretty banged up too, but you know how fast he heals. That guy can take a beating without making a fuss. Now get ready we're getting close."

"Right."

Kiba stopped on the ledge of building, he deeply inhaled the air around him while Akamaru followed suit.

"Alright activate your Byakugan and see if there are any villagers left in the area. I'll take care of everything else."

"Byakugan!"

Hinata looked down at the homes below her, all traces of chakra were gone. She did a second sweep just to make sure but she was positive that everyone was already gone.

"It looks like everyone has already been escorted out. Is there someone else assigned to this area?"

"No, but I know who's responsible, it's Kurenai-sensei."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Her scent is all over the place. You know how she is. She probably took it upon herself to get everyone out of here as soon as she heard the evacuation alarm. Just because she's no longer an active jounin doesn't mean she won't take action when needed."

"I suppose you're right. Kurenai-sensei wasn't to keen on just staying at home after her baby was born, but she has Mirai with her. We have to make sure she did indeed make it to the tunnels."

"I''m sure she did, her scent is still here but it's about an hour old, she probably traveled with the people she evacuated, but we'll check just to be sure."

"Right," added Hinata.

They both headed towards the entrance to the evacuation caves that wasn't too far from their current location. Sure enough they both spotted Kurenai with her daughter in her arms. She was talking to a team of shinobi who were helping the last bit of people get into the tunnels in an organized manner. They landed nearby and Kurenai was taken aback at their sudden arrival.

"Kiba, Hinata, is everything alright?"

"Aside from all this mayhem going on yeah everything is alright," said Kiba.

"Kiba-kun and I were supposed to evacuated the southern neighborhoods of Konoha, but when we got there everyone was gone. We naturally assumed you had done the evacuation yourself."

"Good work you two, it was indeed I who got everyone out. I just couldn't help myself. I know that I'm not an active jounin anymore but once I heard the evacuation alarms go off I took it upon myself to get everyone out. You see the southern area of Konoha is filled with regular civilians, I'm the only experience shinobi that lives there, and I wasn't about to wait for reinforcements, I know how long it can take to get everyone organized in situations like this. So I grabbed a few things for Miari, my gear, and I got to work on evacuating everyone."

"We're just relieved that you made it here alright sensei," said Hinata.

"Thank you for showing your concern but I'm afraid I can't just stand on the side lines while all of this is going on."

"What do you mean?"

"Wait don't tell me you're thinking of helping out?"

"I already have Kiba,and what kind of response is that? I may have been out of commission for a little over a year but that doesn't mean I'm not a kunoichi. Konoha needs everyone right now and I'm going to help protect my village."

"Yeah but…"

"I trained you both, I'm very capable of helping out. Just because I'm a mother doesn't mean I've forgotten all my years of training. Besides it's only fitting that I get to fight alongside you both again. It's really been hard seeing you two and Shino go on without me, but I love being a mother," said Kurenai as she hugged her daughter.

"We understand sensei and it would be an honor to fight alongside you again, it will be just like old times."

"Yes it will be, I just wish I was coming back under better circumstances. I can't believe things have gotten so bad so fast."

"So you know what's been going on then?" Asked Kiba.

"As a matter of fact I do. Shikamaru visits often and he's been sharing information with me. I also spoke to Kakashi, he stopped by my home earlier today, he told me what happened to Shikamaru and Sakura. My talk with him is what made me decided to help out."

"What about Mirai?"

"I was about to take her inside the tunnels. An area for children of shinobi who are out fighting is always created in times like this. It's sort of a daycare if you will, there are mothers there who volunteer to watch over other children, she'll be safe there."

"Are you sure about this sensei?"

"More than ever Kiba. I'll be heading over to Hokage tower once I'm done here. Kakashi and Guy are there waiting for me."

"Hey aunt Kurenai, Kiba. Hinata," said Konohamaru as he and Moegi approached them.

"Konohamaru, what a surprise," said Kurenai.

"Are you guys being assigned to the tunnels too?" Asked Moegi.

"No we were just checking in with Kurenai-sensei, Hinata and I are assigned to the front gates."

"And I'll be heading over to Hokage tower," added Kurenai.

"Cool, Moegi and I are here to help protect the tunnels from within. We're supposed to report to Iruka-sensei."

"You'll find him inside, he's the captain of the team assigned here."

"Alright then thanks aunt Kurenai."

"Wait Konohamaru, please take your cousin inside with you," said Kurenai.

She looked down at her daughter and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. "Be good for your big cousin ok?"

With that said she handed her over to Konohamaru who reluctantly took the little girl into his arms.

"What's going on here?" Asked Konohamaru nervously.

"Listen to me Konohamaru they usually have an area for children whose parents are shinobi somewhere inside. Report to Iruka like you're supposed too, he'll let you know where you can drop her off."

"Aunt Kurenai you can't be serious."

"Please Konohamaru, I need to get to Hokage tower as soon as possible. If you do this for me I can get there much faster."

"But I…."

"Konohamaru, I know you've been briefed on everything that's transpired. You know we're in a very difficult and dangerous situation. As shinobi we need to work together, right now our job is to take care of those who cannot protect themselves."

Kurenai bent down and pick up a small bag, she then handed it over to Moegi.

"A few of her things are in here, make sure to leave it with whoever is in charge of watching over the children."

"I will Kurenai-sensei."

Konohamaru looked down at his little cousin who was now happily chewing on his scarf. She was awfully happy, she had no idea what was going on and just how horrible things currently were. He then looked up at his aunt who was waiting for him to say something.

"You can count on me aunt Kurenai, I'll make sure Mirai stays safe, no matter what."

"Thank you Konohamaru now hurry, the two of you need to report to Iruka. Be safe and look out for one another."

"We will and you guys do the same as well."

Kiba, Hinata, and Kurenai nodded in agreement. They said their goodbyes and left. Kurenai lagged behind for a bit and she turned around one last time to silently say goodbye to her daughter and nephew.

* * *

><p>Karin couldn't help but shiver as she heard the second round of alarms coming from Konoha. She and Naruto weren't that far from the village, so the loud droning sound was still pretty clear. She wondered what was going. Whatever was happening one thing was clear, the hospital staff probably had already figured out that she wasn't in her room, or anywhere inside the building. She sighed heavily as she sat herself down in front of Naruto.<p>

"This is just great, I swear I better not get in trouble for this little outing Naruto," muttered Karin to herself.

She knew very well that Naruto couldn't hear her, she had been making little comments to him for quite some time now, and not once had he acknowledge her. She teased her hair around her finger as she looked at Naruto, he had such a relaxed expression on his face, and his breathing was very shallow. Karin scooted herself closer towards him, she found it fascinating how he was able to detach himself mentally to the point where his physical form was almost in a state of slumber. Karin was never one for meditation, it was beyond frustrating trying to calm her thoughts. She couldn't even stay still right now let alone do what Naruto was doing. Suddenly the town evacuation alarms came to a stop. The last bit of sound faded off and once it did all that was left was an eerie silence.

"That was the second time the alarms went off. I guess its safe to say that the entire village has evacuated by now. I wonder what's going on, whatever the case is things are getting serious Naruto. I hope things are going better on your end."

* * *

><p>Naruto turned around when heard a familiar voice say his name. Behind him was his friend Killer B.<p>

"What I see with my own eyes is quite an exhilarating surprise."

"Wow B," said Naruto.

"Yo Naruto long time no see, what brings you here to this place of tranquility?"

"To tell you the truth I'm not entirely sure. The kyuubi didn't say much just that we were going to go deep into a meditative state, but I'm confused as to why you're here, and why is this place so special?" Asked Naruto as he looked around.

"This place where we stand cannot be reached by a mere ordinary man, ya fool."

**"B's right Naruto, this place is scared to Biju's and their jinchūrikis," said the Kyuubi as it walked closer towards Naruto.**

"I remember you said that we can communicate with the rest of the Biju here, but how is that even possible?"

"What you see before you is a sanctuary where the 9 jinchūrikii can link. It's an incredible place don't you think?"

"Link?"

**"I'm sorry Naruto let me explain," said another familiar voice.**

The eight tails came out of no where, as if materializing from nothing. It lurched over so that it could get a better look at Naruto.

**"Kurama doesn't understand how to take the time to properly explain things, and B is more interested in making up lyrics."**

"Kurama?"

**"Yes Kurama, that's the nine tails name, didn't you know that?"**

"No I didn't," said Naruto as he turned around to look at the giant fox behind him.

**"Oh don't look at me that way, it's not like you ever asked me for it," huffed the kyuubi.**

**"It's alright Naruto, Kurama is after all the most difficult of the the Biju. He's not one to share his past."**

"So I've noticed."

**"That being the case you should know that this is his first time bringing a jinchūriki here."**

**"Hold your tongue Gyūki," warned Kurama.**

"Wait this is your first time bring a jinchūriki here? Why is that, I mean you've had two other jinchūrikis before me."

**"..."**

**"Having a human host doesn't mean that they have access to this place Naruto. Your mother and Uzumaki Mito never came here."**

"Why is that?"

**"Because both Uzumaki women merely held Kurama during their time as jinchūriki, they never merged with him like you did. This place can only be accessed to a jinchūriki who has a harmonious relationship with their Biju. Once that is achieved that jinchūriki has access to this place."**

"And what exactly is this place?"

**"It's our shared consciousness. You see all of us were once one being and so we're all mentally linked. This is the center of our shared mind. In here we can all connect with each other."**

"Now I understand why you wanted to bring me here," said Naruto.

**"Do share, I'm really interested to see why Kurama would bring you here. I'm not saying that your bond isn't strong, but he's not one for family reunions."**

"But you're the only other Biju here."

**"No, everyone is here, remember in this area we're all linked. All the other Biju can hear what we are saying, they just haven't shown themselves, and they might not come out at all if they don't feel like it, but don't let that stop you from sharing your reasons for being here."**

"Alright then," said Naruto as he looked around the vast room.

It was mind blowing that a place like this existed, and it was even crazier knowing that all the Biju were indeed present, they were just hiding. Naruto could feel invisible eyes on him but he shook that odd sensation off so that he could explain what was going on.

"Uchiha Sasuke has resurfaced and it looks like he's plotting something big. So far we've learned that his plan isn't just directed at Konoha but to the rest of the shinobi world."

"Uchiha Sasuke, that name rings a bell, oh wait that's right we had quite a battle, I remember it well," sung B.

**"That's right he wasn't your run of the mill shinobi, he was, at the time, part of Akatsuki."**

"That he was but he was no match for us cuz."

"Well I can tell you both that's he's grown much stronger since your last encounter with him. He's left me with no choice but to pursue him and take him down, but there's a problem. He's already launched an attacked on Suna and Konoha. We're afraid that he'll send forces to take out the other villages as well. That's why we're here. The Kyu..I mean Kurama and I wanted to ask for your help. Our allied forces are spread out and it's put us at a big disadvantage, I need help ensuring that everyone stays safe during all of this madness. We lost so many people during the 4th great shinobi war, and Sasuke has already claimed some lives too. I don't want to lose anyone else especially at his hand, it will be like dealing with Madera all over again."

**"So what, you want us to help you fight?"**

"No, not exactly I just want you to protect the other villages. There's no telling where Sasuke and I will end up fighting, and he'll probably have some of his men attacking various places while he keeps me, and supporting allies, busy. His forces aren't just pushovers either, I've encountered them and they are indeed dangerous. Two of my friends have been wounded by them already. I currently have some of my clones surrounding all of Konoha, and I'm positive that Sasuke is headed there, but I can't protect my home and my family while fighting Sasuke. It's imperative that he gets no where near Konoha."

**"I now see why Kurama told you to come here. I understand your concern and you can count on B and I, but we're already protecting our home."**

"That's right, my older brother isn't playing around, he needs me at home to make sure it stays safe and sound."

"I understand, I wouldn't ask you to leave Kumogakure, but you should know that Sasuke's base is indeed in your land."

Killer B burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Man oh man is my brother going to flip. He's not going to be happy when he finds out Sasuke gave him the slip."

The room grew quiet after B's comment and as time went on Naruto was beginning to wonder if the other Biju were going to make an appearance. Suddenly Kurama snorted in frustration.

**"You do all realize that if Sasuke were to succeed in overthrowing the great shinobi villages the first thing he'd do is try and gain control of us once more. I know that human affairs have very little interest to us but it would be foolish if you all ignored the threat that we're all facing."**

**"Spoken with such conviction Kurama," purred the two tailed beast Matatabi.**

The blue flamed cat appeared and she gracefully made her way towards Naruto and Kurama. She looked down at Naruto who quickly jumped atop Kurama's head so that he could face the two tailed beast face to face.

**"Ah yes if it isn't Uzumaki Naruto, you truly are a remarkable little human. The fact that you are here is a miracle. I never thought I'd see the day where Kurama would bond with his jinchūriki, let along merge with them. You being here proves that Kurama truly trusts you."**

"And I trust him too, even if he's still a big grouch."

**"Yes well that will always be his demeanor, there's no changing that," chuckled Matatabi. "Now then I'll help you with your request. I'll go wherever I am needed, but under the condition that you clarify something for me."**

"Umm, sure," said Naruto.

**"Earlier you said that you can't protect your village and family at the same time. You then stated that Sasuke simply can't make it inside Konoha, why is that Naruto? I was under the impression that you had no family."**

"You're right, I didn't have a family, but I do now. I married my girlfriend, and just today she gave birth to our son. Sasuke knows about this, which is why I can't let him get anywhere near my family."

**"You're mated," whispered Matatabi. "Now things make sense."**

"What do you mean?" Asked Naruto.

**"You know what Gyūki said about Kurama not liking family reunions is true, but he pushed that aside for your family, which is now he's as well. You both share a mate, and a child. This changes everything. Did you hear that everyone?! Asked Matatabi as she raised her voice. "Kurama has a mate and child. This Uchiha business may have started out as a human problem but now we are obligated to help. We are all family, and now one of brothers has a mate and son. They too are our family and so we will do everything within our power to protect them."**

**"I second this notion, we must protect one of our own at all cost," added the eight tails Gyūki. "Besides Naruto saw to it that we were freed from Madera clutches during the war. Not once did he ask for anything in return and he even ensure that they rest of the great villages left us in peace once the war was over. He made sure that no other jinchūriki's will ever be created. Naruto stopped the vicious cycle of our imprisonment."**

Naruto was taken aback by Gyūki's words. He had heard this before from countless other people, but to hear a Biju say it had a completely different kind of meaning to it. Suddenly two other Biju appeared followed by more and the next thing Naruto knew all nine of them were in the room looking right at him. The only beast that would not look in his direction was the one tail. Naruto remembered encountering it when he fought Gaara and so he decided that this is why the beast wanted nothing to do with him.

**"Well now it would seem like everyone is in agreement then Naruto, we will all help," said Matatabi.**

"Thank you all so very much, all of you" said Naruto as he bowed down.

**"Now then where do you want us to go?"  
><strong>

"Well lets see, we need to protect four large villages. So how about you all figure out who's closer to what village and those who are closer can be the ones in charge of protecting that area."

**"That sounds simple enough."**

"Those of you who are left over should still position yourselves close so that if backup is needed you can provide it. I'd like to think that something like that won't happen, I mean you're Biju, your strength is legendary, but I can't be sure when we're dealing with Sasuke."

**"Understood."**

"Oh wait there's on another thing," added Naruto. "I don't have the time to inform all the villages of this new alliance so please approach each village with caution and patients. I know that the kages know not to attack you but seeing a Biju at the front gates of your village would make anyone nervous. So make sure that you inform them that I sent you and my reasons for doing so. If they are stubborn please just let it slide, I know this is asking a lot but you're role is to protect, not to destroy, alright?"

**"Don't worry Naruto we won't be doing that," said Matatabi as she shot the one tails a quick warning glare.**

The sand raccoons ears went down and he quickly turned his head to the side as if he hadn't seen the warning his sister was giving him.

"Thanks again, all of you."

The giant Bijus in the room nodded at Naruto. He hopped off Kurama's head so that he could talk to B who was not far from Kurama's left paw.

"Alright then I need to head back. It was real good getting to see you again B, next time lets try and meet under better circumstance alright."

B smiled and nodded in agreement and together they shared a fist bump.

"We're in this together you and I Naruto, lets kick some ass and give Sasuke one hell of a show!"

"Yeah! Declared Naruto."

* * *

><p>Coming out of deep meditations always felt a little weird. It always took Naruto time to fully become aware of his surroundings. He rarely went into such a deep meditative state so he was a little caught off guard on how foreign he felt in his own body. It almost felt as if he wasn't fully inside his own body, but he knew the sensation would pass with time. Getting use to your physical body again was hard especially after you've been using your astral body for sometime. Naruto slowly opened his eyes only to be shocked when he saw a pair of crimson eyes looking right back at him. Karin grabbed the sides of his face and began lecturing him.<p>

"It's about time you idiot! Do you have any idea how creepy things have gotten?! The village evacuation alarms have gone off twice and since then the energy around here has entire area just has a whole new feel to it, even the birds stopped singing Naruto. I hope you were able to do something on your little cosmic adventure because I know something is coming, and it's nothing good."

* * *

><p>Hello everyone, now I'm pretty sure you all know why there was a delay with this chapter. The ending of Naruto left such a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't even look at Naruto and Sakura, let alone write about them. I have talked about the ending so much these last few months that I'm just tired of it all, I can't even rant anymore, so all I will say about it now is that we were all truly insulted and cheated as NS shippers, and Naruto fans with that crappy ending. I even feel that NH shippers got dealt a bad card too because the entire story and Naruto's character had to be changed just so that their relationship could work. It was just a big train wreck and honestly I can't believe that it's getting worse and worse. However the shitty ending of Naruto closed a chapter in my life and even though it was like the biggest disappointment ever I've been able to grow as an author and artist. I'm no longer stuck on just drawing NS or just writing about them. I'm now expanding my creative interests and because of that I'm finally working on my novel. Now please don't worry, this story will be finished, I won't shit on all my hard work nor will I just give up on it like Kishi did with his manga. I will end it and prove that Naruto is indeed a good father.<p>

Now as for this chapter I changed a few things. For starters I had mentioned Kurenai's child earlier in the story and I had stated that she had a boy, but I l did love Mirai once she was shown in chapter 700 so I put in her in this chapter. Also I made the Biju's have more of a sibling relationship with one another since we really didn't get to see them interact with one another that much, and I made the two tails a girl because I always saw her as a female. Also Killer B was a pain in the ass to write. So yeah there you have it, the wait was just me having my time to cope but now I'm ready to finish someone else to protect which will happen very soon. So thank you to my long time readers and newest followers for sticking by me :D

Kat


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